Asterism
by Animegirl257
Summary: Rewrite of Shooting Stars. Subaru (Geo) never wanted to be a part of a war, but somehow, he ended up in the middle of it anyway. And maybe no one expected an infamous war fugitive to come to Earth for a form of revenge against the FM King Cepheus or a runaway experimental FM to already be hiding on Earth, but at least he won't be fighting alone.
1. The Clashing Lights

Chapter 1: The Clashing Lights

 **Yes, this is what you think it is. When I looked back on the original story, I realized I really didn't want to continue it. It was plain that my plans for the story had evolved half-way through writing and some things just didn't fit anymore. I could have gone back and re-worked some of the chapters, but I had to ask myself if it was really worth that much effort. It wasn't really a mess, but it wasn't something I wanted to deal with it. So I decided to scrap it and start over. The original will continue to stay up since I know some people will always love it and revisit it, and I won't take that away, so don't worry there.**

 **Secondly, this story is going to branch out a bit more. I'm not going to be following the exact game or anime formula this time, though it'll mostly stick to the anime formula. However, do not think that this is** _ **just**_ **a re-write of Shooting Stars. Some things have completely changed, some characters are completely different, and the execution of pretty much everything has been altered. Once in a while something'll happen that will abruptly alter the direction of the story, as I've decided to make some characters too rational for the plot's own good. The first chapter should give you a good idea by what I mean.**

 **Third, the chapters will be more consistent in length, and overall shorter. Most chapters will be hovering around 4-7k words. I'm not trying to be cheap, but it makes sense to try and keep things from being overwhelming and fluctuating wildly. It also keeps scenes more separated and easier to digest.**

 **And finally, somehow, someway, this story ended up becoming about 500% more character-focused than I ever planned. It was something that just sort of happened to fill in the gaps left behind by the shifting plot. Whether this is good or bad for you is up to personal preference, just keep that in mind if you're wondering "where are the fights?". They're still there, but just in significantly smaller numbers.**

 **Beta: Omegaxis1**

* * *

In the gentle cradle of infinite nothing, a space station drifted peacefully, turning on its great axis. The stark whiteness that would normally be described as sterile seemed to glow proudly in the sun's harsh rays. With artificial gravity, solar power, a small garden, water recycling and more, it was almost entirely self-sustaining, and one of the greatest constructs of its time.

But its goal was what was truly groundbreaking.

Contact with other intelligent life forms. And not just the old-fashioned way of using radio waves to send an outdated wavelength, taking years to even send, much less receive, anything, but faster, near real-time communication. It would only take a few weeks, or even days, to send and receive a message. It wasn't nearly as fast as what they hoped to achieve one day, but they progressed by leaps and bounds every couple of years.

At least that's what 'The Peace' was supposed to do.

The 'Brother Band', as the signal had been playfully dubbed, had never made true contact. A blip here, a few seconds or so there, but nothing that could be thought of as more than background interference. There was a false alarm several months back when they tried a new planet that got many hopes up, only for the transmission to be attributed to the abnormal magnetic field surrounding the strange rock.

Of course, this was enough to get the needed funding so the project wasn't simply canceled like its predecessor. It helped that they were designed to be a multi-function station; they were able to conduct several other experiments and even served as a hub for repair crews for the satellites. Even if contact was the main objective to the public's eye, really it was more of a pet-project tacked on at the end. Really the Brother Band was going to be applied to better communicate with future off-world mining sites. But nothing got funding and approval like 'aliens', and so turned the political machine.

And today it seemed like it would finally get the results that few expected to ever happen.

Just not the ones hoped for.

Nothing could be done against the attack, and within seconds all of their safety precautions and firewalls were obliterated. The failsafe's failsafe was greedily torn to pieces and communications collapsed when the final server nearly caught fire from the backlash. Because of this, the ground team had no idea what took place between that moment and the next three minutes and twenty seconds when the entire station abruptly experienced a catastrophic failure and _exploded_.

The base's destruction wasn't noticed until a full ten minutes after it happened because every person on the ground was busy trying to figure out what happened when all three of the major satellites decided to simultaneously all but shut down the moment problems arose on The Peace. And then the other support satellites abruptly began going a haywire with energy spikes they'd never even theorized were possible. More than a few of them were completely fried, and suddenly the ground was very, very, worried about chunks of metal upwards of thirty tones being knocked off course and back to Earth as the energy spikes threw their navigation systems to hell.

For several long minutes, the entire world was effectively blind.

But when the main satellites finally cut back on with a shudder, the entirety of ground control wished that they weren't able to see. Because someone took control of one of the support satellites that'd also revived when The Peace didn't come back online, and they were forced to realize that there wasn't anything there anymore. Just the scattered remains floating drunkenly or burning to ash as they fell through the atmosphere.

It would be three days before Subaru Hoshikawa learned of his father's assumed death.

It would be another six and a half months before he knew of the FM life forms.

* * *

Subaru Hoshikawa, a small burnet boy only eleven years old, simply laid on his back, staring aimlessly up at the stars with light brown eyes clouded with melancholy. For as long as he could remember he had always loved to stargaze. He knew the constellations by heart and how they changed position with the seasons, and how to tell what time of the month it was by the moon. As long as he could see the sky, he could never be truly lost; he had long ago memorized the permanent map that was the night sky. It had taken years of simply staring up at the sky, counting and watching, but when he opened a book about constellations he realized he already knew them all. He was only lacking the names.

Of course, he no longer looked up at the sky as he once did, with such fascination and wonder, but now observed it with bitter sadness and longing.

He had always felt like there was… something… up there that he wanted to see, to meet. That feeling had only amplified with the death of his father until it had turned into almost a physical need. He'd gladly give up almost anything just to know what he was looking for. And for some reason, he felt so… paranoid, like something _bad_ was going to happen. And not just 'fail school' or even 'his father died' bad, but somehow even worse…

Like the whole friggin world was going to end or something. Subaru clutched his father's pendant tightly and felt its strange warmth.

Despite what his mother had hoped, him receiving his father's pendant and the in-progress Visualizer hadn't helped that feeling the least bit. In fact, it had only made it several times worse, to the point he wondered if his father's spirit were haunting him. But he could see she was hurting so much and trying so hard to keep everything stable for his sake, so he couldn't bring himself to tell her. And he lied smoothly with a smile and buried his worries under rigorous self-education and research. Maybe if he learned everything he wanted, he'd be able to figure out what this feeling was. If nothing else, stuffing his mind with knowledge squeezed out his worries, and he was pretty sure it'd become a coping method. But at least it was a productive one.

Letting out a sigh, Subaru tried to wipe such thoughts from his mind. His father had died, and there was no way he could say that it didn't bother him in some way. It was something that was hard at any age, much less when he was barely eleven. Heck, he hadn't been to school since the… event, and the only reason he acted anything near normal because he had to be strong for his mother. Just like she was for him.

His mom had taken the loss hard, grieving for months and not going to work for as long as she could, listlessly dragging herself around the house. She was just lucky that her employer had been friends with her and his father, or else Subaru doubted that he would have let her take almost four straight months off. It was only very recently that his mother could smile again without it being painful to look at. Even if it was a small, sad smile, it was still something. And he decided he'd protect it no matter what.

Even he could tell she was still close to falling into full-blown depression- and next time she may not be able to pull herself out. He knew it was perfectly fine for boys to cry, but he couldn't let himself wallow anymore. Life was moving forward whether or not he was ready.

Subaru knew he was mature for his age. He doubted most other kids would continue to educate themselves only a week or so after their father's death, or that they'd help with the housework even before that, and stop crying even earlier than that. Even if it was for the sake of being distracted, he still did it all by himself, without anyone asking. So the brunet couldn't understand the constant paranoia he was feeling- as if it were a… a sixth sense or something. Like when someone just _knew_ they were being watching, but they couldn't figure out who. And over time it hadn't faded at all; heck it had gotten stronger over the past few days.

And that feeling had for some reason led him here -in the middle of the night no less- on a rather cheap green bike he had all but outgrown, to a field overlooking the vast expanse of water that was the nearby bay. He didn't know why, but here just felt… right. Yeah, like he _needed_ to be here, for whatever reason. So he had flopped down onto the grass on his back, ignoring the potential stains he could get on his clothes. Right now he just wanted to look up at the stars mindlessly once more. Besides, he'd taught himself how to get stains out a couple of months ago, until one could only see the spot if they knew where to look.

Shifting slightly, Subaru bought the green glasses that were the Visualizer over his eyes, brushing a few brown hairs out of the way. And then the hidden world was reviled as faint, yet always-there (and visible clearly only at night), rainbow-colored wavelengths moving across the sky. A kaleidoscope of hues that shifted and lit up the inky sky, yet were almost blotted out by the moon's reflected light. A bunch of tiny aurora bordelaise of energy and information that was smothered by the city lights beneath them.

Allowing himself to fall into an almost trance-like state at the specular light show above him, Subaru finally felt at peace for the first time in months. It was only temporary, only something that could be brought on because of this moment, but that didn't make it any less important. With all the recent tension and stress, he was so close to just snapping he hadn't even realized it himself until those three from school had decided to try and drag him back to that place…

Letting himself grimace a little at that memory, Subaru tried and simply clear his mind and force the tension and stress to lessen at least a little. Most others his age were so annoying sometimes, why couldn't they just be a little less loud, a little less tiring?

" _She's been really worried about you!"_

Trying to ignore thoughts in his head that were trying to surface again and ruin his peaceful moment, Subaru almost didn't notice the streak of light across the sky, or the one quickly following it.

But he most certainly noticed when the two lights clashed together, creating a small, yet intensely bright, burst of light.

Sitting up suddenly, Subaru adjusted the Visualizer slightly as if to make sure he had seen what he thought he had. But then where did those lights go…there! Light a shooting star, a brilliant blue streak tore across the sky, before an equally bright streak shot after it, the two colliding for a second with a surge of power. Breaking away from the short struggle, each flew through the sky, only to curve sharply and clash once more.

"It looks like they're fighting…?" Subaru wondered as the lights coiled and broke apart in some twisted dance.

Then they stopped, the two apparently…looking at each other? At least that's what it seemed like as the two lights stopped moving with both only a short distance apart, hovering far up in the sky, one blue and the other green. It looked like they were sizing each other up after that clash. Were they actually sentient or just basic programs like Wave Viruses gone out of control?

And then it happened.

Both grew brighter suddenly before charging at one another, meeting one another halfway with an explosion of power and light. Then it was over, and the green light fell from the sky, almost limp. The other light reared back and gathered itself, before shooting off after its prey like a falcon. Subaru gasped as he recognized a killing blow when he saw it, and he gripped his pendent tight at the irrational fear he felt. It felt oddly hot and Subaru realized his hands were sweaty. What was he so worried about?

No matter the answer he may have reasoned, his fear was unneeded, because suddenly a terribly bright red light was _there_ , knocking the striking blue light away. The red light fell and caught the other light that had nearly been destroyed, and for a terrifying moment, he thought it had been killed by the red light. But no, the red light was so shockingly bright that the other light just wasn't capable of competing.

The red light almost completely blotted out its companion with its intensity, and Subaru had no doubts it could devour the one it'd protected, easily. Unlike the other lights, the red light was far more compact, and, instead of being a vague blob, the red light seemed to have a shape startling humanoid-like. Despite that, it shined with such a fierce inner light that Subaru was amazed the sky wasn't lit up like it were day. The attacker light, looking like a tiny ember in comparison, reared back angrily and slowly, cautiously, drifted away from the red light. It seemed to debate for a moment before turning and flying away.

Yeah, Subaru would've run too.

The two remaining lights separated a little and seemed to be communicating with each other somehow. Well, he assumed they were, since they were clearly intelligent enough to pick sides, and why else would they float only a short distance apart for so long? Curious and a little bit terrified (what _were_ these lights, no, forget that. What was the red light!?) Subaru stared and tried to figure out how they were communicating. There wasn't a change in brightness, and no other visual cues seemed to be given, so maybe something to close to verbal? Direct exchange of information through some sort of telepathy? Something he couldn't perceive with just his Visualizer? No wait, the red light had shifted oddly, pulsing a bit and…

Subaru risked pulling the Visualizer off for a moment to wipe the lenses as if some invisible fingerprint was blocking his view. Looking at the spot where the lights should be but weren't, the brunet couldn't help but feel annoyed that there wasn't anything there to indicate that they were there. No glow, no sparkle, nothing he could see at this distance at lea-

There was a figure in the sky. _Standing_ there as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Subaru's brain froze. Lights were one thing, but now there was a person _levitating_? He couldn't see much from this distance and the city lights directly behind it nearly blotted it out, but he was one-hundred percent sure there was someone there. Something, actually, because people didn't just float like that, and he couldn't tell if the stuff flowing in the wind behind it were weird wings, tentacles, a tattered cape, or if they had really, _really_ long hair for some reason, but it made it almost impossible to see anything.

Even then Subaru was pretty sure they were staring right at him.

Without making eye contact, Subaru knew he was being looked up and down. Studied, really. The figure, little more than a dot of what might have been red and gold, turned after a few moments and Subaru released a breath. The figure then walked across the air as if it were the most natural thing in the world, then wavered like a mirage, and disappeared.

Subaru suddenly felt weak-kneed and fell back into the cool grass.

* * *

 **I've decided to stop going overboard on character descriptions (for the most part) since I've posted a few sketch designs on my** deviantart **under the same name as this account.**


	2. The Crimson Hero

Chapter 2: Crimson Hero

 **Welcome back. Before anyone asks about the timing of things, just know the timeline will be moved around as I see fit. It's easier than trying to work around it.**

* * *

Despite his rigorous self-study, Subaru had a lot of free time. He naturally worked efficiently on his own, devouring the material easily and found himself having to do several days' worth of work at once if he wanted to finish at the time school let out. He could easily do half a dozen chapters in math in a day without even thinking about it. Once he sat down and started working, well, that was it. He just worked, didn't complain, and looked up anything he didn't understand immediately.

And that was how Subaru found himself so far ahead it was getting a bit ridiculous. Were classes back at school really that slow-paced? He guessed it had something to do with having to go at the class' pace and not his own, and he never realized that he actually _could_ work ahead. Whatever the reason, Subaru found himself with a lot of free time and not much to fill it with. He didn't participate in any clubs before he left, he didn't do any sports, and well, the number of attachments he had had with his school could be counted on one hand. He could keep studying and get even farther ahead, possibly finish the entire curriculum within a month or two and request early testing, and then rinse and repeat. And do that again and again until he got into high school or even college early.

Subaru had a feeling he was becoming a workaholic when he realized the idea wasn't that unappealing to him. Except there were better things he could be doing with his new free time that would be more helpful in the end. Like doing work he could get paid for, so he wouldn't have to ask his mom for money he always felt guilty for taking. But he wasn't even twelve and no one really wanted to hire someone still in elementary school, because he should be out doing 'kid' things, not working.

Subaru sighed, and shuffled away from the most recent store that had rejected him. He wasn't even asking to do a hard job, just to be a general gopher who'd run errands, organize, and maybe clean the place on occasion. But he was too young to work, or even get money under the table with odd jobs and favors consistently.

"You missed school again today, Hoshikawa."

Subaru kept walking. He stopped when a large hand took his shoulder with a grip he knew he wouldn't be breaking, "Listen to the Prez when she's talking to you." Said her ogre of a henchman.

Great, that sheer smugness was going to set him off. Subaru took a deep breath that didn't calm him so much as it tightened the ball of frustration in his gut, "I told you, I won't let you use me just to look better."

Luna strutted up, and her smile set Subaru on edge. Even when she removed Gonta's hand the brunet didn't let himself relax, "Oh let the poor boy go, Gonta, we can all be civilized, right?"

Fake. Everything about her was fake, from her sugary sweet voice to her sudden concern for him. Did she think he'd forgotten how she'd gleefully let her lackey handle him just a couple of days ago? No, Subaru didn't bother to even pretend to be pleasant, "What do you want?"

"Now, now, there's no reason to be so hostile, Hoshikawa! After all, school is over for the week, so it's not like I can drag you anywhere. Not that I'd do something like that again." Luna ignored Subaru's bland look and continued, "No, no, looking back on it now, I see I was being too hasty. Even if I got you to school that day, it's not like you would've stayed. No, I've thought about your situation and realized just how terrible it is! Even I would have trouble going back to school with such a…handicap placed on me. So here, a little something to make your transition back to school easier."

Subaru was too busy gagging on her fake concern to really think about what sort of "handicap" Luna would think he had. But when she handed over a business card with the word 'tutor' it, he realized how little she thought of him.

"Don't take this the wrong way, Hoshikawa," Luna continued, taking his stunned silence for confirmation, "I don't think that you're dumb. In fact, before your…prolonged absence, your grades were some of the highest in the class! But after such a long time out of class, anyone would be afraid of going back and having to catch up. But with your grade performance, I'm sure you'll catch up with only a few sessions. Don't worry- just give him my name and you won't have to pay a dime if that's what's worrying you so much."

Subaru threw the crumpled card back at Luna and stormed away.

The blonde sputtered, "Hey, wait a second! I'm trying to help you out here, why are you being so rude?"

Gonta was reaching for him again, but Subaru smacked away his hand. This was-! "Do you really think I've been out of school so long and done nothing? I've been working from home!"

"You could have just said that from the start! Honestly, there's no reason to get so angry over my reasonable assumption that a student not at school isn't studying! It's not like most students even work while they're at school you know!" Luna huffed, indignant.

Subaru felt himself calm a bit. That was right, not many kids, heck, people in general, had his work ethic. He hated feeling like he was wasting his life so much that working hard came so naturally to him that it was…strange to think other people didn't feel the same way. So, this was all just a misunderstanding, which meant they could all just go their separate ways…

"So that means you'll be able to come back to school immediately then, right? Great, I'll do my best as class president to make your transition back in as smooth as possible!"

Did she not get it? "I'm not going back. I'm doing perfectly fine on my own. I don't have a reason to go back anyway."

"Hoshikawa, Hoshikawa Hoshikawa…" Luna tutted and wagged her finger in disappointment, "No matter how well you study you're sure to miss out on other important things by not going to school. What about clubs, or playing a sport? You're looking a bit scrawny there you know…But you _are_ pretty fast, so I have a feeling you'd do good on our track team! I'll even help pay for any equipment you'll need to try whatever activities you want to try if you come back Monday. Do we have a deal?"

"You're disgusting."

"Huh!?"

"I said you're disgusting." Subaru repeated, and he decided he'd push forward, "You keep acting like you care about me when I know you just want to make me come back to make yourself look good. When brute force didn't work you decide to track me down and try to _bribe me_! Several times! You're doing it now!"

"I think you're misunderstanding the situation, Hoshikawa. I'm just trying to help you adjust-"

"I'm already six months ahead of you all, why would I even come back?" Subaru shot out and thought that when Luna gaped at him like that she looked like a fish out of water. When had anyone ever told her "no" more than once?

He was sick of talking with her. Sick of putting up with her when she thought he was so dumb he couldn't see what she was doing, "I don't want to go back, what part of that do you not understand? Or do you think that if you throw enough money and promises at me I'll suddenly agree? How dumb do you think I am that I wouldn't notice how you don't care at all about how I actually feel? Huh?" Subaru could see Luna cracking, and knew she'd break apart if he didn't stop. But she was just so annoying-! "Someone like you can't ever understand what it's like."

Luna tried to gather herself and fight back, but really she just rose to his bait, "Someone like me? Hoshikawa, you'd better watch your words carefully-!"

"A spoiled rich brat like you can't ever understand what it'd like to not have things go your way, right? I bet your _precious daddy_ will buy you anything you want! I bet you're buying off the entire school to win this election!"

Luna recoiled as if she'd been struck. She sprang back up violently, with claws bared and heart unprotected, "Well at least I have friends! What sort of person are you to have no friends, to be so mean and nasty no one wants anything to do with you? Hmm?"

Maybe that should have hurt, but Subaru let the words wash over them, never bothering to really listen to them. It was for the best, he thought, and let the bitter taste in the back of his mouth spill forth as venom, "Instead of what? Having lackeys who only put up with you so they can leech off your money? How many people in our class would actually like you if you did this to them? I bet they just put up with you so you'll leave them alone!"

"You take that back right now!" Gonta shouted and loomed over Subaru. But the brunet boy was filled with bravery from anger and indignation and snarled right back at the taller boy. He must've looked really mean for Gonta to step back like that.

"We aren't at all like that!" Kizamaro suddenly piped up, his horrified trance at the direction of things finally broken, "We're Luna's real friends! Not that you'd know what that what those are!"

But the damage was done, and Luna had stormed off, surrounded by an air of bluster and righteous indignation. Except the fat tears in her eyes were peaking and spilling, and he knew she was going to cry as soon as she rounded the corner. Gonta rushed after the blonde, Kizamaro at his heels and neither bothered to look at him. It was obvious they actually cared about Luna if they could forget their own feelings towards him so fast. Subaru could see that from the start, but he hadn't cared and pulled every trick he could think of to hurt her.

Subaru wondered what had to be wrong with him to not feel even the least bit sorry. He didn't really care, didn't really feel any better after what he'd done. But he thought the gap in his heart was a bit annoying.

* * *

After that mess, Subaru didn't feel like looking around for some way to make money anymore. But he didn't feel like heading home, defeated, either, so the brunet wandered around the city for a while, aimless.

It was just his luck a closed shop across the street was being robbed.

He had no idea what the idiots there thought they were doing. It was the middle of the day, the middle of the city, and he knew the police had already been called. There was some sort of giant pile up on the other side of the city that had most of the force tied up, so maybe they were trying to capitalize on it? Even then they were doing a pretty poor job at everything in general, to the point plenty of people felt perfectly safe standing around watching, wondering if the idiots stumbling over themselves were actual robbers. A few people were recording while a sizable group of tough-looking guys had worked up the nerve to saunter over and start yelling at the robbers. It looked like the robber's plan was to take the entire machine and hack it for the credits later. Not that that would work: Subaru knew plenty of places had their machines set to delete all the credits on it if it was improperly removed from its stand.

And then one of the idiots pulled a gun.

It was practically a relic of the past, a revolver old enough it could easily be a family heirloom. But it certainly still fired, and the thunderclap of sound sent people into a panic. At the sight of an actual weapon the good Samaritans who'd felt confident with their superior numbers froze. They were talking and yelling, and the guy who'd pulled the gun was waving it dangerously.

Subaru felt his breath hitch. He didn't know what to do. He wanted to do something, to be useful, but there was a gun and he'd probably end up being a hostage or something. He couldn't do anything, even though everything his parents (his father) had taught him told him to help those in need. Except he couldn't-

A glowing green dagger pinned one of the robbers by his hoodie.

The abrupt silence balanced on a knife's edge and everyone looked around, confused. Someone cried out and there, standing atop the safety fence that circled the roof of a building nearly two dozen stories tall, was a dot of red and gold.

Without a doubt, it was Zero Blade.

Subaru couldn't see much from this distance, but he already knew the strange red warrior's appearance by heart. Red armor patterned with gold and white, glowing green gems that decorated the tops of his gauntlet and boots, unbelievably long hair-

The pin dropped, and the robbers panicked.

Zero Blade moved with an unnatural grace and perfect balance. He ran the length of a roof-top fence that was no more than two inches wide without ever stumbling, and fearlessly leapt from the railing. Down, down, down, over twenty stories gravity pulled him; the crack that rang out was heart-stopping. Except it was the pavement that had given way and not his bones, and the red warrior was moving again, down the street before the echo of his own landing had faded, vaulting over the bus stop in his way and over the congested street entirely. Someone screamed as a robber let off a spray of bullets at the teen, but Zero Blade kept running, impossibly fast and with a flash of movement, the gun was sliced horizontally in half, missing the attacker's fingers by an inch and the triangular blade less than that from his chest. And, while the man was frozen with fear for his life, Zero Blade knocked him out easily.

Zero Blade only gave the crowed a cursory glance and nodded absently. The whisperings multiplied. It'd only been a few days, but the red warrior was known by the world twice over. Once was for his superhuman abilities, including (but surely not limited to): super strength, incredible speed, the ability to walk on air, invisibility, the ability to somehow go wherever in the world he darn well pleased, and the strange energy-blade that he could summon freely and change into at least two other forms. Subaru also didn't miss the fact that the strange superhero had started popping up literally all over the world the day after he'd seen him at Vista Point, but he kept that thought to himself.

"I know that." Zero Blade snapped to no one, rolling his eyes and nonchalantly knocking out the other robber with a perfect hit. No one had seen him even cross the ten or so feet.

The second was for the fact that he was almost constantly talking to someone no one else could see. Subaru didn't care for the gossip and ever-growing number of deranged theories out there, but he just couldn't escape them, it seemed. Some thought it was another abnormal ability like telepathy, some thought he was just using coms that were untraceable, and others thought he was just crazy. Personally, Subaru thought Zero Blade was talking to someone. It was the safer option rather than having such a powerful lunatic running around, and well…

"O-One minute!? Are you crazy, there's no way-!" Zero Blade let out a frustrated growl and leapt in the air, disappearing from sight before he was more than a few feet off the ground.

Personally, Subaru thought Zero Blade was pretty cool. He didn't idolize him or anything (really!), but it'd be really disappointing if a real-life hero was actually insane.

"Man, he's really something…People were reporting that they were seeing him in South America just half an hour ago…"

Subaru startled at the unexpectedly familiar voice. The green hair and purple clothes were easy to spot despite the excited and growing crowd. But that was strange because, "Tsukasa? What are you doing here? Aren't you usually busy with plans?"

"Well, I'm free this afternoon and I heard a lot of noise coming from over here and well…" Tsukasa shrugged helplessly.

Tsukasa had always been busy last time Subaru had checked, and he seriously doubted that had changed. The boy wasn't part of any clubs and was thus always free and eager to help anyone who asked, no matter how rude they were. He didn't do any extracurricular activities and yet he practically lived on campus at times with the sheer number of people he hung out with. He bounced from group to group and had never failed to make himself loved and practically an angel to some. For him to have a free afternoon was something Subaru knew had to be rare. He never remembered disliking the oddly green-haired boy either…

"You shouldn't just go wherever you hear the most noise you know. Someone had a gun." Subaru said, feeling awkward and stiff.

Tsukasa laughed, "I could say the same for you and yet you're over here too. I guess we're both hopeless then, huh?"

Subaru didn't think there was anything funny about what he'd said. He thought they were even less alike, actually, "I was already here."

Tsukasa fumbled a bit at the frosty response and tried to save the conversation; "Oh, well I just thought that…Ah, never mind that, I actually managed to get a picture of Zero Blade when he was jumping from the building and it's really…oh."

Subaru had already walked away.

* * *

Zero Blade was known for his superhuman strength, durability, grace, and, most of all, speed. Even off Wave Roads, Zero Blade knew he was pretty fast. He figured he could run about three times as fast as a human without getting tired- topping forty miles an hour which could easily become fifty if he needed to sprint. He thought that was pretty impressive.

But it wasn't impressive at all to his self-declared teacher. No, not when Wave Road travel outstripped that speed by a factor of literal millions. But even that wasn't fast enough, and his speed on a Wave Road was declared "sub-par"! Sub-par when he was moving tens if not hundreds of miles an hour! So "sub-par" that he was forced to perform insane exercises on them at his 'teacher's' whims. Just to show him up, he did his absolute best on them all, pushed himself until he was exhausted just from that short time, and then he'd blow that prick's expectations out of the water!

"You failed again."

…One day.

"Shut…up! You're the one…the one who's…expecting way too much!" Zero Blade hissed into his earpiece. No, he wasn't a gasping, exhausted, and probably disgustingly sweaty mess since this stupid skintight suit he was just _waiting_ to start chafing at certain bits and had absolutely no ventilation. He wasn't at all pushed by this arrogant prick's too-tough assignments. Not at all.

The voice, unwavering and near-emotionless as ever was unrelenting with his expected standards, "You're the one who keeps failing to properly utilize Wave Roads. It's slowing you down."

The blond took a moment to think and not at all to get his breathing back under control, "I've been doing this for like three days! What are you expecting from me?"

"Perfection."

Zero Blade let out a frustrated growl and threw his hands up, "You know what? I'm going home, screw this."

He thought that his near slave-driver of a teacher would demand he worked even harder than yesterday, as the pattern seemed to be. Except there was silence for a moment, and then the voice asked, "Are you hungry yet?"

"Well, yeah. It's been a long day and all…"

"Then you should stop. There's no reason to strain your body without need."

Zero Blade wasn't about to question the gift and took off in the direction of home with a shrug. Wave Roads were always an amazing way to travel, near-weightless and off like a shot with barely a thought. Already he'd learned to trust his teacher-partner to guide him through the spider webbing network and on the road and not plummeting hundreds of feet to the ground or water below. In just a minute's time and at a leisurely pace he was already back in his home city- about as far from somewhere north of the Amazon as you could get. And maybe he spent an extra minute or two or ten letting himself circle the city at a comparatively slow pace, but it was fun and easy to disguise it as practice at slicing wave viruses to pieces in increasingly creative drive-bys.

"You enjoy slaughtering viruses, don't you?" It might've been a joke or sarcastic in any other situation, but the voice was as deadpan as usual and it just came out as annoyed and fed-up.

"You're the one who wants me to practice, right? Be glad I'm such a good student that I'm doing independent study or whatever." Zero Blade snarked and then nearly cheered when the whip-like Chain Rod wrapped around and ensnared a virus. One tug and he'd yank it in range to stab…or not, since when he pulled, the glowing serrated edges drew tight and deleted the virus.

The teen stopped and looked at the empty space, "So no rescuing people with this, got it. See? Learning."

There was a vague sound that might have been one of approval, might have been one of disappointment. It was probably some weird impossible combination of both, and Zero Blade pretended the vague response didn't irk him. A little praise at how he had at least snared a moving target while moving himself would've been nice…

Mood sufficiently killed, Zero Blade took off, straight to his home.

"Left! Left now!"

Or not, and the red-clad teen was going left before he could think. There never was any time to think on Wave Roads, just simple reaction to whatever came hurdling, somehow always directly at his face. Blue light barely missed him, and he stumbled, skidded to a stop and turned in one swift movement, hands and feet digging into the energy of the Wave Road before he was whisked too far away.

It was blue, with energy licking around armor and curving into false wings, stretching out as an extended neck and beaked face. A swan, almost, and Zero Blade couldn't believe he'd collided with his enemy.

"Cygnus…?"

"Attack him!"

There never was any time to think on the Wave Roads, and Zero Blade, who had stopped to wonder at the sheer odds of his encounter was already too late when he snapped into motion. The voice actually sounded angry when his sword tore through nothing, Cygnus faster and darting past the teen, and heady heat flooded the teen's body. A spin, a flicking wrist, a second of memory lost, and the blond blinked, watching the thrown glowing triangular sword missed Cygnus by an inch.

He didn't remember throwing his sword, but that was something to worry about later, and he took off after the already-fading trail Cygnus had left. It was useless, hopeless, and the chase was over before it'd started. But Zero Blade tore after the FM, filled with mad anger at his own stupidity for wasting his chance. He was incredibly fast, he could catch up, and then-!

"Stop, you can't catch him!" The voice thought he was weak, was telling him such, but he'd show him! He'd end this here and now!

"Tamotsu, stop already!"

The blond teen didn't jerk to a stop, but instead felt the fiery will leave him so fast in physically pulled him down, out of travel and down to rest on the Wave Road below. Looking out, he knew it was true. There wasn't a trace and the path was as barren as the voice's words except…

"FM life forms are too fast to catch, and I'm not someone who can track his signature. I only knew he was there because he was already nearly on top of you…"

Zero Blade- Tamotsu -spoke, quiet but sure of his words, "That's the first time you've said my name, you know."

Caught, the voice that guided him was unsure, awkward and hesitant, "I…"

He thought he'd just been putting human standards on an alien and had ignored it. Except the logic held up less and less, and the wall between them even as they were now became harder and harder to ignore. But if the alien was going to be strange like that…"Man Zero, you're weird- even for a weird energy-alien. Those years of exile for treason or whatever mess with you, huh?"

Zero didn't reply, and Tamotsu wondered how long it'd been since his cage had been rattled if he couldn't get over someone calling out his obvious issues. The silence made the boy want to scream and throw said cage against a wall.

"Just guide me home already. I'm sure War-Rock is about to go nuts by himself."

* * *

War-Rock was bored. When he'd betrayed his team and fled he'd expected his life as a traitor to be more, well, exciting. And it had been, for a little while at least. He'd been thrilled to do what he knew was right after his failure with the satellite months before, and he'd managed to reach the planet- no point in taking the key if King Cepheus just ordered it to be raised the old-fashioned way. Sure, he couldn't do much on his own, but a blaze of glory was a nice way to go out.

War-Rock shuddered and rubbed his shoulder. About half of the blue armor there was missing and his energy flow still wasn't what it should've been, making the normally vibrant and pulsing green energy look dim and sluggish. A blaze of glory he'd nearly been before ever actually being able to put up a real fight; Cygnus was tougher than he thought and if help hadn't come when it had…Well, what were the sheer odds that the legendary exile Zero would be on the exact area of Earth he was?

Probably pretty low, actually. War-Rock wasn't good at subterfuge, but even he knew that things like that didn't happen. Zero, as infamous as he was, had been completely passive in his exile and had fallen off of everyone's radar a while ago. The FM had probably noticed what was going on and had followed War-Rock all the way to Earth, letting him fend off and distract the others and do all the real work. War-Rock had let him know _exactly_ what he thought of being used as a distraction.

The shock and resulting drama had ended surprisingly quickly, probably due to Zero having the emotional capacity of a brick and being immune to War-Rock's rage. And after that…exactly nothing of note had happened. War-Rock was confined to Zero's partner's Transer thing to both heal and not risk detection. He could understand why, sure, but it was just painful to sit alone for hours while he knew Zero was out there, practicing with his Wave Change. You know, doing things. And War-Rock knew who his perfect partner was already, which made it even worse. The kid was scrawny, probably weak, but their sheer compatibility was more than enough to counter that completely. Except…

"Cygnus is still circling this city. It's likely his partner is here and will soon be found, if they haven't already." Zero briefed in place of a greeting and War-Rock nearly jumped right out of the Transer. When did-!

"Why do you keep doing that!?" War-Rock shrieked and fled back from the dark red FM that was far too close to be normal. Zero gave an unwavering and completely flat look and War-Rock glared tightly restrained FM.

Zero wasn't much smaller than War-Rock, and his more elaborate red armor patterned with gold highlights and strips of white lost a lot of its appeal when it sat over his dark red body. The green gems set in his gold bracers, red helmet, and between the layers of his shoulder pads provided for _some_ contrast, but overall he looked really…plain. He really didn't look like much, not at all like the feared monster that would slaughter gleefully for days until he collapsed that War-Rock had heard about all his life. It was…strange to see that the real thing was practically emotionless, and looked dim almost.

The armor on his face was a bit eerie, War-Rock would admit, however. A practically featureless black dome with a dim red mask slipped over it with white side pieces that flared like wings. It was all sharp edges and looked purely predatorily, with green slit eyes that missed nothing.

The Transer hit the covers softly, "Hey, if you're going to yell at each other, mute the Transer first. Everyone should be home right now and I'm sick of repeating the ground rules for here."

Tamotsu grumbled and slipped off his other shoe, carelessly tossing it on his bed (somewhat) near the other. Out of the armor, he looked significantly younger and smaller. Older than his actual thirteen years, but barely a high schooler if anyone was asked. He was fairly tall, already breaking five foot and his red jacket made his shoulders look just a touch broader than they actually were, with the way the sleeves puffed a bit with how he'd rolled them up to his elbows. He was dressed unimpressively, with a green shirt that had a meanings design stitched on it and dark blue shorts and brown boots. His perfectly blond, shoulder length and held back in a ponytail, and strikingly blue eyes drew enough attention, "Also stop ending the Wave Change so quickly, Zero. I feel tingly when you do that."

"That is simply the extra energy leaving your body- there is no way to prevent that." Zero informed, clinically, "Not feeling 'tingly' is actually a bad sign. It is also a necessary measure, to avoid detection by the Wavecaster."

War-Rock growled, "Her name is Harp, you know. And she's actually-."

"Forget it, Zero is allergic to names," Tamotsu interrupted, slipping a headset synced to the Transer on since the FMs (probably Zero) _had_ listened to him and muted the Transer. It was strange, looking at the screen and seeing the FMs dart around it like it was filled with water. "Wavecasters are the ones who do communications right? Between Earth and Planet FM, right?"

"Correct. They are also very frail due to how specialized their abilities are. Invaluable on long-distance missions such as this one would be, but nothing we'd fight. If anything, she'd indirectly aid us since Cygnus will be forced to defend her"

"And like I was trying to say," War-Rock shot a dirty look at Tamotsu, who shrugged, "Leviathan isn't the only Wavecaster who can fight effectively! There's an FM named Harp who'd be tough to fight if she was the one Cygnus picked. And she likely is, since she and Ox know each other fairly well."

"Another offensive Wavecaster exists? What can she do?" Zero sounded actually interested for once, and Tamotsu sat up a little bit straighter when War-Rock began. Just a little bit.

"If it was just down to raw power I'd knock her flat, no problem. But Harp, being a 'female' FM and all, focuses more on technical things anyway. She uses sound wave constructs to fight, and if she's ever able to get a resonance of any kind going you'll be in serious trouble."

Zero, ever-direct, demanded clarification, "So is she stronger than you or not?"

War-Rock grimaced and looked uncomfortable, "Ah, well…She's not as bad as Leviathan, but she's not defenseless like every other Wavecaster."

"That's not an answer." Tamotsu nearly sang out, and oh boy he could _feel_ that embarrassed hate.

"You-!"

Tamotsu would've stuck around to pry the answer out of War-Rock, but he was being called down for dinner and he felt like he was about to starve. So the blond left the two FMs to bicker over how much of a threat this 'Harp' was going to be and was down the steps before the calls for him had even finished. The last three or four he took in one leap and landed in an overly-fancy dramatic crouch just a foot or so from a small blonde girl in a pink dress no older than seven.

Alouette pouted at the crouching teen, and hugged her white stuffed cat closer, "Mommy said to stop jumping down the stairs. You could get hurt."

Tamotsu, still crouched, smirked, though it went unseen by Alouette, "And she also said to not shout up the stairs like that."

He lunged, and Alouette shrieked happily as he scooped her up and tossed her over his shoulder. Her grip slipped and the plush cat fell towards the floor, but Tamotsu snaked an arm back and managed to snatch it midair.

"Let go! I'm not a bag!" Tiny fists beat his back even as she laughed. Tamotsu handed Alouette her doll before she got grabby with his hair again, and strutted into the dining room. The two adults there looked at them, and Tamotsu cleared his throat, "I come bearing a gift. Your adorable but incredibly loud daughter."

His step-mother, a blonde woman who Alouette already looked almost identical to, looked less than amused. "Don't think I didn't hear that massive thud. Are the last few steps really that much of a chore that you can't walk down them like the rest?"

Tamotsu maneuvered Alouette into her chair as slowly as possible to try and buy some time to think. He didn't have a reason or excuse lined up, so hopefully she'd appreciate pure honestly. "It's not like I'm going to break the floor or anything." Kind of.

"No but you keep breaking into your own home." His father said pointedly. His father, a very tall man at 6 foot and a handful of inches, with short brown and looked a bit out of place among considerably shorter blond heads. He didn't sound very angry about it, but he was always so completely calm it was hard to tell, "I didn't see you come in through the front door again. Is the window really a better entrance?"

"I like to challenge myself. I have a lot more reach now."

His father huffed and started serving himself food, "One day I'll lock your window."

Because that would do a whole lot of good when he could walk through walls. Not that his family knew anything about that, "And I'll still get in. Because I'm just that awesome." He'd have said something about accepting that challenge, but it wouldn't be much of a challenge since he was pretty much cheating.

His mother decided that his father actually had a point, "One day you'll get hurt if you keep climbing trees to get in."

Tamotsu shrugged, "Guess you'll just have to cut it down. I'll still get in." It was an ugly and scrawny tree hardly worth climbing anyway.

"The only thing that should get cut is your hair." His father pointed out, and Tamotsu rolled his eyes. Alouette giggled at his discomfort, "How long are you planning to grow it? Don't tell me you want it as long as that Zero Blade character?"

Tamotsu adored his hair when he was Zero Blade. Even if Zero insisted that if the waves surrounding the strands was the only thing keeping his hair from getting caught in anything he came within five feet of, he still thought it was perfect. So…"Yes."

"You'll end up looking like Alouette and not him, you know."

"My hair is prettier!"

"You don't know that. Zero Blade and I have similar body types I think I could make it work."

Tamotsu knew he was playing a dangerous game drawing any similarities to himself and his alter ego, but he couldn't help it, even if Zero was already telling him to cut his hair as short as possible. He'd keep his hair shoulder length or so and that should be enough. A good part of his face was at least slightly blurred by the visor, and the massive increase in hair made a good enough of a disguise. As long as he didn't show off his growing strength too much and was careful with where he changed, he'd be fine.

Tamotsu smirked at his father's grumblings and passive-aggressive chicken stabbing. If his _family_ hadn't figured it out already, then he was pretty safe.

* * *

Tamotsu made his way upstairs sometime after dinner and was a bit surprised that Zero and War-Rock weren't still arguing. Instead they seemed to be brooding, and the blond realized it'd probably gotten pretty ugly once he'd left. He didn't really care since all that mattered was that War-Rock didn't do anything too stupid, and it wasn't as if Zero would even let him. So he left them to their silence and pulled up his chair to the computer to investigate a strange story he'd heard skimmed over on TV just a few minutes ago. It was a long shot, but maybe…

He split the screen a few times and flicked a few articles with fewer details off the physical screen and to the side, where they hovered a few inches to the side in case he found nothing better. The one article he'd limited it down to wasn't a great source, but it was pretty in-depth and had the video plugged right there.

"Hey Zero?" Tamotsu ventured, not really sure if he was asking something really childish and dumb or not, "Would you be able to use Battle Cards, anyway?"

"That was actually an issue I was discussing with War-Rock. Once I looked over these 'Battle Cards' I found it would be fairly easy to convert the simple data on them into a copy of the weapon. They'd be more fragile than anything an FM could make on their own, which could pose a problem with melee weapons, but they'd provide a wider range of attacks, and-"

"Seriously? Why did you tell me earlier, I'd love to see how much bang some of the more powerful cards would have in real life! Do you know how much easier it'd make my life if I could shoot something with a Plus Cannon instead of throwing swords at it?"

"Don't get excited, Tamotsu. It is highly unlikely you'll ever be able to use Battle Cards. Your Wave Form has already settled too much, and changing it now would be…difficult."

The blond frowned. What did that even…"Settled? You mean like a house or something?"

Zero sounded like he wanted to sigh, "Well, that's not _wrong._ It's more like wanting to change the shape of an object after it's been made and finished. Though some changes could theoretically be made, anything extreme threatens the integrity of the item as a whole. Understand?"

"I think."

"When War-Rock Wave Changes for the first time, he'll be able to incorporate a way to use Battle Cards." The red FM directed a pointed look at the other FM in question, almost accusingly. War-Rock turned away and looked uncomfortable.

"Right, when I Wave Change…" War-Rock trailed off, and Tamotsu knew he was thinking of the young boy they'd seen the first night.

It was one heck of a coincidence, and yet War-Rock wasn't vying to capitalize on that incredible luck and drag the boy into this mess. Sure it wasn't bad (or much of anything) yet, but Tamotsu knew he'd eventually be fighting enemies that he'd been warned many times over would be able to go toe to toe with him unless he trained hard and fast. And yet War-Rock wasn't interested in trying to recruit the kid, something close to regret laced his excuses and Tamotsu wasn't about to question his sudden sympathy for the kid. It was strange to think that an alien that used human bodies like weird fleshy exoskeletons would care about their host's wellbeing that much, because Zero really hadn't.

The mood was charged, and Tamotsu knew Zero was about to berate War-Rock over not at least meeting his human yet. Sure someone to watch your back was nice but, well… "So I was asking because, well…Do you two think this might have anything to do with your fellow aliens?" Tamotsu positioned his Transer so the aliens could see his computer screen.

 _400 Pound Crate Of Battle Cards Abducted By Invisible Force On Camera!_

It was a simple and clickbait title, but, "Normally I wouldn't care, but there's a video and everything, and, well…"

Tamotsu played the video on its own screen and looked over the article on a different one. Plenty of people would say it was fake, or that it was some strange cover-up, but not him. It was such an oddly specific thing to suddenly have stolen when they weren't particularly valuable or hard to get. Knowing that there was even a chance the cards could be altered and turned into something a lot more powerful and real, he didn't think it was a coincidence.

The crate was picked up and bobbled a bit back and forth, as if whatever force was stealing was struggling to keep their balance. It stopping moving and then…disappeared. There was no flourish or burst of sparks or smoke. The crate wavered a bit at the edges as if it were underwater, and then simple vanished.

Tamotsu turned back and shrugged, "So what do you think?"

"It is unclear with this information." Zero began and ignored the sighs he got from his audience at such a vague answer. He elaborated. "The only reason I think there is even a chance Battle Cards could be used is because of the flexibility Partnerships provide when the initial Wave Change is formed. An FM forming a Possession would have a difficult time incorporating a way to harness Battle Cards, as their host would be fighting them every step of the way."

War-Rock grumbled a few staticy inhuman things before switching to something Tamotsu could understand, "If there's anyone who'd stubborn enough to get around that, it'd be Cygnus. He's crafty enough to somehow figure something out. I say he's already found his human and took them."

"Then why did we encounter him on the Wave Roads?"

"Because he's planning something! Besides, you know why. It'd be the only way to...uh," War-Rock stopped what was promising to be an impressive rant with a glance at the blond listening in. After a moment he began again with the strange not-words that hurt Tamotsu's ears and Zero responded calmly, again in what the teen assumed was their native language.

Filled with annoyance at being so abruptly cut from the conversation, Tamotsu yanked out the earpiece before he got a headache from the bizarre chatter going on. If they didn't want him listening in they could have told him to leave and not just switch languages on him. A language he had no chance of learning to boot.

They'd tell him what he needed to know, but it'd be nice if they didn't so obviously distrust him.


	3. Day By Day

Chapter 3: Day By Day

 **So I've noticed a few people who are worried about Rockman being less powerful since Zero Blade has shown up first. I won't confirm or deny this just yet but do keep in mind that this isn't even close to the same story as the original.**

* * *

If someone were asked to describe Amachi it would surely be as an upstanding and friendly worker. He would be described as a laidback man with the biggest worry in his life being if his projects would meet his own standards as well as his backer's. Even that was a fleeting stress that was more born of love for his work than any actual issues. With a job he loved and no social problems to be seen, Amachi's life was, as some would say, perfect.

But Amachi was a man with a heavy weight on his shoulders.

He knew life would never be the same when The Peace suffered sudden and catastrophic failure. Many great researchers had been lost that day, several of which he'd known and worked with personally. Daigo had been one of many, and the one Amachi had been closest with. The man was fierce in his passion and anyone around him couldn't help but get caught up in whatever plans he'd have made, grinning the whole way. He was strong, both physically and mentally, and yet Amachi had seen how gently he'd held those he loved; with such affection that it was as if the man had been afraid the bonds he'd made would break if not constantly attended to.

It was almost inconceivable that the nearly frail and very reclusive Subaru was Daigo's only child.

The passion was there, Amachi could see it burning in Subaru's eyes whenever he guided the boy through his projects and skimmed over some of the inner workings. It burned bright and fierce whenever the boy talked, really talked and nearly rambled, about space and stars and other worlds and even physics. It burned so bright it was nearly fanatical, and that scared Amachi, because the boy had no other outlet for that brightness slowly burning away at his insides.

It was because of that Amachi could never turn Subaru away whenever he came wandering to AMAKEN. He always looked a little more lost, a little more down, and the backwards slide only stopped whenever the brunet could lay eyes on the fantastical things Amachi laid out before him. Projects and inventions that all pointed to a future- a future Subaru would have to be part of if he ever wanted to see their end results. Some Amachi had made himself, others by his colleges. Most were painful but successful and rewarding group efforts.

Amachi made a point of emphasize that part every chance he got.

It never seemed to do anything for Subaru, however, and a few calls to his mother and it was easy to know nothing was improving. Subaru went out less often, spent less time outside, and it was never to see friends. He didn't mention anyone in his age group in anything more than a passing comment. It was worrying, and Amachi wished he knew what he could do. With how often Subaru was coming to see him it should've been easy to sit the boy down and have a talk with him about where his life was going, but…

But that should have been Daigo's job. It would feel like he was taking something important away.

It was because of his own helplessness that, when he overheard a girl in Subaru's class asking about him at the front desk of the civilian areas of AMAKEN, he took her to the side and told her whatever she wanted to know.

* * *

Amachi was showing Subaru a minor side project when the man slunk into the room. The project was an unimportant and unassuming thing, just like the uniformed man who wobbled a bit with each step. Tall but scrawny and thin with deep bags under his eyes, he was someone who was so strange Subaru would've gone on ignoring him if Amachi hadn't stood up and walked over to the man, full of friendliness and energy.

"Hey there, Utagai." Amachi cheered. Utagai nearly jumped out of his skin before he seemed to remember himself and gave the man a forced smile. The two dissolved into idle chatter, and Subaru heard Amachi try to draw Utagai over to talk to him. Subaru sighed, and even Utagai tried to escape Amachi managed to drag him over.

The attempt at friendliness wasn't appreciated by either the boy or the adult, so they spent several awkward moments attempting small talk. Well, Utagai tried while Subaru gave the absolute minimal needed to reply to the pointless questions that were asked for politeness' sake. "How are you?", "How long have you known Amachi?", "Do you like it here?", and so on. What was the point to such questions, much less with how much of a struggle it was for the scrawny man to force out? If he didn't want to talk he could have just left and that would've suited Subaru just fine.

Amachi, seeing that the interaction was doomed, did his best to salvage the situation. "Utagai here has been working on his own big project that, last I heard, was close to a break-through. I haven't told you about it because it's his project, but maybe since he'd here he could…?"

Utagai seemed dazed, "P-Project? Oh…oh you mean that. Uh, well...I've…"

"You said you were going to test it a couple of days ago, right? You seemed pretty determined then, but you never said anything about it, so I was curious."

"Oh well, I think I tested it…? Yes, I'm sure I tested it and it worked? I remember flying, but I've been dreaming about that a lot recently, so maybe…"

"Dreams?" Amachi asked, but Utagai had already trailed off into soft mutterings that were impossible to understand, but his growing distress was obvious. Amachi felt worry spike in his gut. It could be nothing, but for someone as meticulous as Utagai to not remember something so important? It seemed impossible, and Amachi could see his friend rapidly tearing himself apart if he thought his mind was failing him, "Utagai, are you feeling alright?"

"Ah, nothing, nothing important! It's just…I know I tested it, so why didn't I record it? Why…?"

Utagai began muttering furiously to himself, and Amachi found himself at a loss at what to do. He softly said Utagai's name, as if he were a frightened animal, and regretted doing even that much. Utagai snapped to attention and, in his fright, fumbled his pile of papers. He quickly scrambled to recollect them in some semblance of order, worried mutterings to himself only intensifying. When Amachi leaned down to help, Utagai smacked away his hand. He looked just as shocked at his actions as Amachi and shot to his feet, backing away nervously, "Ah, I'm sorry Amachi, I have…I have to go!"

As Utagai ran Subaru couldn't help but think how strange the man was. He was supposedly a great inventor from the little Subaru knew, and yet Utagai couldn't seem to keep track of anything and he couldn't even keep himself together. Amachi looked trouble now, and so Subaru worried himself, "What's wrong?"

"I'm just worried about Utagai. He's never been the most…confident or open, but it's never been like this."

Subaru suddenly realized that Amachi was friends with the man he thought was pathetic. That was…weird. He had just assumed that they were colleges and nothing more, too incompatible to ever get along. Amachi was strong and confident, and always happy, but that man, Utagai, was so far from that how could they…? "You can go check on him if you want."

"Ah, but I don't want to leave you, Subaru."

Subaru didn't want to be left alone either, but he was used to it and comfortable with isolation as long as it was on his terms. And he knew what Amachi would rather do right now, anyway. It was in his lingering looks at the hallway, his stiff posture, his worried tone he probably thought he was masking, his…everything. "It's fine. I should head home and finish up some schoolwork soon, anyway."

Amachi seemed to waver a bit, unsure about something or another. But his worry for his friend won over and he nodded, leaving Subaru to show himself out whenever he wanted. "Come back whenever you want. Ok, Subaru? And if you ever need…nevermind." Amachi stopped himself and left.

Subaru didn't have a chance to reply before Amachi rounded a corner. Feeling a bit lost and as if he'd missed something, the brunet examined the empty space as if it'd hold the answers. Amachi had wanted to say something else, something more, and it didn't say that thing for a reason. A reason Subaru felt was tied to him. The brunet boy felt he should chase after the man and demand an answer, wanted to do that, except… Amachi had his reasons, so he shouldn't pry.

It would be rude, Subaru justified as he left, even if he felt oddly afraid of what Amachi would have said to him.

"Hello, Hoshikawa."

Speaking of rudeness… "What are you doing here?" Subaru demanded, stiffening and wondering why Luna was _here_. Hadn't he made it clear he wanted none of her help? She didn't look surprised to see him, so she must have known he'd be here. In fact, she'd come without her two lackeys and still looked irritatingly confident.

"Is that really the first thing you're going to say to me?" Luna asked. Subaru attempted to set her on fire with his eyes and Luna sighed as if she were preparing to deal with something especially troublesome. "Very well then, I guess I'll have to be the bigger person here, hmm?"

Luna let her hands fall from her hips and her posture stiffened a bit, turning a forced-formal. She stared straight at Subaru, face nearly a perfect mask and said; "Subaru Hoshikawa, I apologize for the way I acted the other day. I deeply regret my actions and admit that they were faulty, and hope that you can find it in yourself to forgive me." She held her hand out to him, like this was a business deal with manufactured feelings to be traded, "Please."

Subaru stared, disbelieving. That was…the fakest and most scripted thing he'd ever heard anyone say. Everything about it was wrong and fake, her body language was stiff and cold, the inflection was unnatural and forced, and the attempt at sounding sincere was a joke. Did she think that was the sort of apology anyone would ever believe?

She looked at him with that fake smile, "Subaru, it's your turn."

"No."

"What?"

"I said no. I don't accept…whatever that was."

Luna was flustered now, clearly not expecting to be turned down even now, "Why not? I apologized-!"

"That wasn't an apology," Subaru explained. He wasn't even angry anymore, just annoyed, "That was you saying the words you thought I wanted to hear and expecting everything to suddenly be fine between us."

"Hoshikawa…"

"I didn't care if you ever said sorry to me, and I definitely don't want it if you're just going to say it like that. Look, I don't care if we ever meet again, so there's no point to saying sorry to me. I'm not apologizing for what I said, so if you just want to hear me say that, you're not going to get it." Maybe she thought he was just as petty as she was shaping up to be. "If you're afraid I'm going to spread nasty rumors about you, well, it's not like I even go to school."

"Hoshikawa! This isn't…" Luna fumbled for words, torn between anger and something else. She chose the anger that hurt her chest less. "This isn't how this was supposed to be! If you don't accept my apology, then what's the point of ever saying sorry? How are you going to justify that?"

Subaru wanted to sigh. She didn't understand at all. If it was fake, then it meant less than nothing at all. It was just a bunch of sounds that might have held some meaning if anyone else had said them.

"It's not actually an apology if you didn't mean it."

Luna didn't say anything after that, and the brunet boy took advantage of her silence and decided to cut everything off here and now. "If you want to actually do something to make up for stalking me, then just leave me alone. Like before all this. That's the most you could ever do for me."

Subaru left Luna again. There was a bit of _déjà vu that Subaru shrugged off. He didn't want anything to do with people like her in the first place, so maybe now she'd get it when he wasn't yelling it at her._

((Asterism))

Goyoda knew he was…excitable at times. He personally attributed it the fact that shock didn't really affect him and that translated to the tendency to take the initiative in any situation. He couldn't help it if everyone was too busy freezing up to actually do something about whatever insanity they'd suddenly bore witness to. Life was life, and gawking at it wasn't about to make it change – it only wasted time. And because of that, he was quickest to think, quickest to action, quickest to solve an issue and, on occasion, quickest to make a mistake.

They weren't ever really _big_ mistakes, and he wouldn't even call some of his actions "mistakes". Sure, he sometimes flew off the handle whenever he saw something obviously reckless, but he'd never done anything that put anyone around him in danger. He could keep his head on straight when most others wouldn't, so he thought that excused him to be a little short when he saw something extremely idiotic.

Like that kid he'd tried to drag out of the middle of the street over a week ago. How could he have known he was yelling at Zero Blade, when that was the very first time anyone had ever seen him in person?

An important department head from somewhere or other was sitting before Goyoda, interrogating him over that very same encounter. Goyoda wanted to roll his eyes at how long it'd taken for anyone important to come to him, since he was the only one who'd ever actually talked to Zero Blade. They probably didn't want to admit that their efforts to pin the boy down had failed spectacularly.

The official-looking man, with his crisp suit and expensive cologne that Goyoda could nearly see circling the man as a physical _cloud_ , continued. "You've made threats towards Zero Blade before, correct?"

"I thought he was some weird cosplayer. It was a week or so ago- at the start of this mess." Goyoda said in place of an actual answer. But there were expectations, and the incident hadn't ever been reported because he'd been convinced he'd imagined the end until the video footage was found, "But yes, I have, technically, if telling a kid to get out of the middle of the street before I move him myself counts. He was literally laying in the middle of one of the busiest roads and was causing a backup. Personally, I'm amazed he didn't get hit before I got there. He looked dazed, as if he didn't know what had happened. And then he vanished." Goyoda grumbled, annoyed.

"He was confused?"

"Video footage from the overhead bridge shows him suddenly appearing mid-fall. With less than perfect grace, mind you." Goyoda snorted just at the thought. Zero Blade moved like things like balance and gravity only affected when he damn well pleased to let it. It'd been a treat to find a video of the boy falling, flailing madly, and then landing on his back with the fineness and subtlety of a chucked brick. "We know he can turn invisible at will, so I'm guessing he missed a jump or something and was so startled he dropped whatever cloaking he has."

"And your point is?"

"It means he's clearly new to whatever this rider-ranger crap is and doesn't have the best grasp of what his abilities are. I say that he's learning what he can and can't do whenever he stops those crimes." Goyoda paused for a second, considering his next words. It was just a thought, but it was one that wouldn't leave him alone. "It would at least explain who he's talking to all the time. It's all training."

"Are you suggesting government conspiracies now? He could just be crazy."

"I'm just saying there could be at least one other person involved. And it makes more sense than some random kid suddenly getting superpowers, at least. Besides, I've dealt with crazy before. He looks far too lucid to be hearing voices or anything like that." That it would also be really, _really,_ bad if the currently uncatchable kid was crazy went unsaid.

The official frowned, "That is a possibility we have to consider, however unwanted-"

There was knocking on the door and Goyoda let them in just because he could. He wasn't up for discussing what he considered the worst-case scenario when he knew that wasn't it. A third party made more sense, even if the idea of someone with that level of technology was more than a little horrifying.

The assistant, an older man who was far above simple paper-runs, addressed the two men inside politely. "Sirs, we've found that missing crate."

There was something heavy and important in those simple words, and it was that and that alone that stopped the official mid-retort. Somehow this was relevant. They traded glances, and Goyoda was pulling up the files he'd known must have just been sent. "Really? Where?" The detective asked, to fill the time it took to find the answers himself.

"It was abandoned about three miles off the eastern coast. It was simply luck a fishing boat caught it. There's… _almost_ nothing left."

Goyoda frowned, because that didn't make any sense. Why leave only a few cards behind? Whoever took that crate was likely to do one of two things: Steal every single card or take only the higher value cards and leave the vast majority behind. "Almost? That's more than I was expecting."

"Every type of Recovery card was left behind. About a fourth of the lowest-level cards were left behind." A pause to signify the most important information was coming, "A couple of the higher-level cards were left, but that was because they were damaged."

"Damaged? What, were they crushed when the crate was opened?" The official asked, wondering what this was all leading up to.

"Partially disintegrated, actually." Goyoda read out loud, growing more and more worried the more he read. "They're so burned that they're unsalvageable, and yet the edges show almost no signs of melting, just pure disintegration. The crate itself seems to have had a large corner…obliterated for lack of a better word. It's so damaged that it'll likely be scrapped as well."

Goyoda nodded to himself absently, pulling up the image files his Transer had received moments ago. It was a worrying sight. The crate hadn't been particularly expensive or strong, but it had been over an inch thick and well made. Battle Cards weren't overly tough themselves, but the fact that they'd been turned to ash even with the barrier of the crate between them and the weapon was strange. It was like the crate hadn't even mattered, and Goyoda had a feeling that if they put all the Battle Cards where they theoretically should have been in the crate, two thirds of a perfectly round cavity in the crate and cards would suddenly appear. The drastically different materials hadn't mattered to…whatever that blast was, which was usually the main drawback to energy weapons.

A specialized energy weapon that affected different materials equally. Brutally effective, with almost no way to defend against.

Something like that wasn't anything civilians should be able to get their hands on. All of the giant crime syndicates in the world might have three similar weapons between them. Heck, governments had a hard time getting permission to take tech that performed a _fraction_ that well out of the war vaults.

"I wonder what the odds are that this has anything to do with the energy spikes that have been popping up across the city are?" Goyoda asked the official after they'd both looked over the reports. It was something that the Satella Police had been asked to keep an eye out for by AMAKEN, since there was no cause they could determine for the spikes. They were insanely powerful and should have been causing all sorts of havoc, and yet there wasn't a sign anything had happened even at the epicenters just minutes after it'd occurred.

"What makes you think that?"

"Because the spikes started only a few days before Zero Blade showed up. Now that they've increased dramatically, it means either Zero Blade is doing something strange, or there're others like him popping up." At the official's flat expression, Goyoda huffed. "Don't tell me you hadn't at least considered the possibility that Zero Blade stole the crate. He has the cloaking and the strength to do exactly what that video showed."

"…And you think that he actually did it?"

"No. Zero Blade, despite his name, owns a blade." Goyoda would never understand the name. "He has an infinite number of them as far as I can tell, and we've seen it change into at least one other form. It seems to be working out for him, so why steal so many cards? The weapons used to open the crate don't match up either: Zero cuts things with absolute precision and this was a reckless blast at best. Plus, there's no proof he could use them, and if he wanted to test out if he could, why not rob a store instead? Much lower-profile and far less effort than going all the way out to the warehouses miles away. No, I say Zero Blade has no use for Battle Cards, unless proven otherwise. Which means we now have a third party."

"That's a drastic leap of logic. They could be working together."

"At the very least we have two of them running around then, if not more." Goyoda shrugged, without an answer. There were enough signals he was comfortable betting on there being more than a second one running around, but there was no way to know for sure. Just like they had no way of knowing if they were on the same side or not until they saw an actual fight. "And the second might as well be a fourth party with how they're acting. They abuse their power and there's nothing we can do to stop them right now."

It was a painful thing to admit, but something that had to be said.

Besides, it was only for "right now" anyway.

* * *

Far, far away from the city that was soon to be plunged into chaos, a girl with magenta hair slept soundly. It was early, but with her busy schedule, she took whatever chances she could find to rest and rejuvenate herself.

And only a few feet from her, safely hidden away from sight in an electronic shell, a blue FM named Harp watched her, thoughtful.


	4. Convergence Point

Chapter 4: Convergence Point

 **This chapter was originally going to be two parts, but I decided to combine them since they ended up being on the short side.**

 **Also, as I forgot to mention this earlier, but to 98kazar, yes, there will be some drawings of Axl Trigger. It took me a while to revise his design, but I have him done now, and art of him will be posted when he appears in the story.**

* * *

Luna watched her target from just outside the classroom doorway. She knew him well- he was the most beloved student in the class without ever even trying. Slight frame, girlish face, and a humble attitude didn't seem like something that'd make anyone popular, much less a guy. And yet everyone loved him a hundred times more than her. She wasn't jealous at how effortlessly he made friends, no, she had to take responsibility for her own shortcomings instead of envying others. But that didn't mean she couldn't ask for help.

Tsukasa, ever polite, thanked the teacher. "I see, so that's how you do it. Thank you, sir."

The teacher waved away the thanks, "It's no problem. It's my job after all. Do you all understand it now?"

The girl, a tiny thing with wavy chestnut hair and brown eyes as wide and scared as a doe, was doing her best to hide behind Tsukasa, gave a squeak at being addressed. Embarrassment flushed her cheeks and she looked caught between indignant and terrified. Luna recognized her: Azumi, a girl with a surprisingly fiery personality despite all appearances. It was a shame she suffered from nearly crippling social anxiety.

Tsukasa stepped between the teacher and Azumi and drew the attention to himself, so smooth and natural that neither noticed what he'd done, "I understand it completely thanks to you. Azumi, you didn't have to wait for me; I know you already understand this stuff, so it must be boring to wait for me."

Azumi swallowed the chance to salvage her pride almost ravenously, "Y-You're the one who was so dumb you didn't even understand such a simple lesson! I…I did my best to explain it to you, but no, you didn't get it!"

"Good thing I understand it now, right?"

"Y-Yeah!"

The teacher, looking hopelessly lost, excused himself with only a cursory reminded for someone to close the door when they left. The moment he was gone Azumi's mask fell to pieces and she gave a shuttering breath of relief. Luna poked her head in and saw Tsukasa hand over the notes he'd taken during the teacher's explanation without a word, even as the girl grew so red she threatened to combust then and there. She flushed and stormed away, pride still hurting just a bit, but not as much as it could have been.

At the doorway Azumi paused. She refused to look back and Luna had been forced to back away so she couldn't see Tsukasa anymore. But the girl still stuttered, "T-Thanks, Tsukasa." And all but ran away.

It was a very mundane issue that Azumi had, made complicated since her nature wouldn't have let her ask for help from anyone. She would have simply let the problem go on instead of doing anything, unsure in her studies and unable to keep up. Without a single word exchanged between the two, Tsukasa had seen what was happening and arranged for it to be corrected without the teacher ever knowing she'd been struggling.

Yes, Tsukasa could read people to such an uncanny degree it would have been slightly scary if he wasn't so unquestionably nice. He knew everyone's opinions and unvoiced wants with just a glance and a few scattered words and then flawlessly used that to his advantage. Not to hurt anyone, but to reach the optimal result for as many people as possible. He never used his skills to benefit himself from what Luna could see, and that complete disregard for bettering his own reputation combined with his outstanding social skills was what made him so popular.

Luna needed that skill now.

"Tsukasa, I need your help," Luna demanded, serious enough that the green haired boy could only blink at her, a bit taken aback he'd been confronted before he'd even closed the door to the classroom.

But, despite all of Tsukasa's talent, he was a simple soul and didn't ask questions, "Sure, what do you need?"

"You were Hoshikawa's friend when he still came to school, correct?"

"Hoshikawa?"

"Subaru."

"Oh!" Tsukasa confirmed, but sobered immediately, "Oh you mean Subaru. Um, I wouldn't say we were friends…"

"But you two got along, correct?" Luna pressed. No, she didn't even need that much, just someone who knew absolutely anything about the brunet in question. "He tolerated you at the very least, correct?"

"Yeah, we talked sometimes." Tsukasa gave her a confused look, though Luna could see him already trying to put the pieces together, "That's a weird way to say it, but sure, I guess. Why do you ask?"

There were several ways Luna could have used to describe what had happened. She could lay all the blame at Subaru's feet, but Tsukasa was simple, not stupid, and would know if she lied. The truth dressed up as prettily as possible, then. "Recently I have…offended Hoshikawa."

"Offended?"

"It was in his best interests!" Realizing how desperate and guilty she sounded, Luna coughed and regained her cool. "All I wanted was to negotiate what it would take for him to come back to school, but he…didn't like my methods and now we're on poor terms."

"Define 'poor terms'." It took a moment for Tsukasa to say that, and Luna felt her heart drop a tiny bit.

"Hoshikawa said that the best thing I could do would be to…never speak to him again."

"I never knew him really well, but that doesn't sound like Subaru at all. Sure, he's gotten pretty cold now, but I don't think he'd tell you that for no reason." Tsukasa paused, maybe to think, maybe for effect, but it made Luna squirm under the weight of it all since there was only one question he could ask. "What did you do?"

And there was the heart of the matter and the deadly question. A simple four words, but they slid under Luna's skin and into her heart, snaking around it and squeezing until she reminded herself Tsukasa hadn't outright said he wouldn't help just yet. He was curious, yes, just curious which could be directed to sympathise with her if she was careful.

"I tried to make- _persuade_ him to come to school. I've tried several times, using a different method each time, and he still won't come back. Subaru got…sick of my efforts." Simple and the truth, if not a bit short.

Tsukasa had caught her mistake, and Luna knew someone like him could never understand that sometimes force was needed. She hadn't gone that overboard, restraint was completely rational for someone who hadn't shown up for months! There were better ways she could have handled it now that she looked back but asking her parents for ideas was completely out of the question. That logic didn't stop him from sounding disappointed when he next spoke, as if he already knew what she'd done without having to ask. As if she was predictable in the worst possible way. "So, what actually happened? You seem pretty bothered by this, and I can't-"

"What happened is none of your business."

Luna was surprised with how short and irritated her own voice was, and nearly didn't recognize it. It was openly hostile and filled with a simmering anger that'd been weaponized, and the tone matched perfectly with that which echoed in her memories. It was jarring and worrying, but Luna couldn't stop, couldn't show she'd been affected by something she'd said herself, and continued, this time sounding like herself: "All you need to know is Hoshikawa is really mad at me. I've tried saying sorry, but he won't accept it and he called it fake. So I need your help in telling me what to do to make him forgive me."

"He won't accept an apology…?" Tsukasa muttered thoughtfully. Luna looked at him with a frown, and he waved away her query at his musings, "No, no, it's nothing. Maybe you just need to apologize differently?"

"I'll have you know my parents have taught me the perfect way to apologize to amend any situation." Polite, but no ground could be given that hadn't already been decided on beforehand or you would be toppled in an instant.

"Well…Subaru's a bit different, right?" Tsukasa ventured, and Luna nodded. _That_ she could at least agree on. "So maybe if I see what you did I can see why he's being picky. Sound good?"

"…Fine, I'll show you exactly what I did."

Luna cleared her throat and then adjusted herself. Back straight, shoulders square and stiff, gaze unwavering and voice carefully neutral, she began: "Subaru Hoshikawa, I apologize for the way I acted the other day. I deeply regret my actions and admit that they were wrong, and hope that you can find it in yourself to forgive me. Please."

Tsukasa stared at her for a long moment, as if expecting more. Right as Luna grew unnerved by his silence, he sighed, deep and full of expectations of suffering soon to occur. "So that's why he didn't accept it."

Luna really wanted to be flustered and indignant, but it was hard to act when the icy dread of a realization was creeping through her chest. Once could just be chance, said to hurt her, but for Tsukasa to agree..? "And just what is that supposed to mean?"

Tsukasa ignored her question entirely and looked at the blonde girl. It wasn't a normal look, but an intense one filled with judgment and something dangerously close to distaste. It was unnerving, and Luna froze and Tsukasa spoke, "Luna, do you actually _want_ to make up with Subaru? Because, to me, it really seems like you don't."

"I…I do! Honest!"

"Isn't bringing Subaru back all just boost your own reputation? I won't help you do that."

Tsukasa was leaving, Luna realized, and suddenly she was afraid. She didn't know what to do and never would at this rate. She'd never make amends and never make herself better then…!

"It's not that!" Luna nearly shouted the words, and for a second she looked around for anyone who'd been drawn to the noise. No one had but Tsukasa had at least stopped. He hadn't turned around, but he'd stopped and was waiting.

"Not anymore, at least…It was at the start, I'll admit that. But I never thought that I'd…" Luna didn't know how to phrase it, how to dress it up pretty. It went against everything she'd been taught, but she stopped thinking and simply spoke. "That I'd mess everything up so badly. When Hoshikawa said that the most I could ever do for him would be to do nothing at all, to never see him again, I realized he meant it. He really meant it, Tsukasa. He really hates me. I've realized just how much I've messed up if I've made someone hate me without knowing it."

"You can't apologize to someone expecting them to always forgive you, Luna." They were words spoken from experience, but instead of empathizing, Tsukasa seemed disinterred.

"I know that, but…I just want him to know I get what he was saying now. I thought he was wrong, I thought he was just making things up, but when I look around, I realize…I realize not a lot of people actually like me. So if I can't make even this better, then how am I supposed to…?" Supposed to become the amazing person she liked to pretend she was? Supposed to even be a decent person if she couldn't even apologize correctly?

"Luna."

"I know! I know it's dumb to care about this so much. Hoshikawa is just my classmate and one I don't even know that well, but he's right! He's right, and I hate that! I hate it because I don't want to be anything like…"

"Luna."

Luna was afraid to look at him, to see his disgust. She was weak, crying over something like this and she could hear the voices ringing in her ears, whispering, muttering: _"How pathetic. You must become stronger if you ever want to accomplish anything."_ She was failing at it all, reaching too far beyond herself and losing her grip on everything as a result. She couldn't be everything, so maybe it'd be best if never bothered-

When she looked up, Tsukasa was there with a smile smiled, easy and relaxed and looked just the tiniest bit amused, "So, what do you need help with?"

Luna realized that she only had to reach as far as someone else was willing to extend their hand.

* * *

When someone rang his doorbell, Subaru thought for sure it was Luna again. He tried to ignore it, but it went on and on, ringing throughout the house. The brunet quickly grew sick of it and stalked down to the door and flung it open without looking outside.

"Just what do you want!?"

Tsukasa blinked at him, shocked.

Subaru mentally stumbled. Why did he make the stupid (childish) assumption that someone at his door had to be Luna? There were other people who visited besides her. What if it'd been someone important from his mother's work, or Amachi? And now, Tsukasa, who'd never done anything to him was looking at him, face shifting from surprise to hurt.

"Tsukasa, I thought that…"

Tsukasa shifted nervously, voice filled with poorly masked hurt. "Oh, um, if you don't want to be disturbed, I guess I can…"

Subaru felt _terrible_. Not only had he been rude to Tsukasa at the Zero Blade sighting, but he'd just yelled in his face like he had done something wrong. If he was Luna it'd be different, but Tsukasa was nothing but nice to everyone, so Subaru didn't really think about why the boy was here. "No! No, I'm sorry, I thought you were…Um…"

"I was?"

"Someone else. Someone who's been harassing me a lot lately." Subaru didn't need to drag Tsukasa or anyone else into his problems. He could handle them fine. "What...why are you here? Usually, you always have things to do on the weekend."

"Well, I had something planned with a few others and I was going to invite you to come along. It's fine if you don't want to, honest!" Tsukasa assured, but his cheeriness was forced and fake and painful to watch. "I know things must have been hard for you last week," _'when you were rude to me'_ Subaru's mind filled in, even if Tsukasa was too polite to say it, "so I thought I could help, but…if you're too busy, then that's…fine."

Subaru, lonely and filled with guilt, didn't really think and simple agreed, "Let's go."

Tsukasa lite up at that, so happy over such a small thing and Subaru couldn't help but feel some warmth that he'd been able to salvage the situation so easily.

"I wasn't doing anything anyway." Subaru justified, more to himself than Tsukasa, though it was true.

Despite barely knowing each other, Tsukasa easily launched into a conversation with Subaru. It wasn't about anything in particular. Though it inevitably was drawn back to Zero Blade's sudden appearance and exploits with the sheer fantastical nature of it all, the conversation freely drifted from topic to topic with no aim. It was all shallow, all pointless and things Subaru would forget within the hour, but it was nice. There were no pressures placed on him by Tsukasa to know the latest trends or shows, no worry over his current emotional state, and it eased the growing loneliness in his soul Subaru hadn't even realized had gotten so large.

Subaru didn't think to question Tsukasa about what they were planning on doing even once.

* * *

Subaru stared at Luna for a long moment, disgust rising with a sense of betrayal. "I'm leaving."

He ignored how her face fell at that and stalked away. Would she never get it, never understand anything? How low was she willing to sink to get him back to school, using Tsukasa, someone too nice to ever say no? Someone stopped him with a hand on his arm, grip solid and as unbreakable as iron. Subaru whirling around and expected to see Luna's goon, but instead saw Tsukasa.

The boy smiled like the sun, even as he refused to let go, "Please just listen to what Luna has to say this one time, Subaru."

"I've already listened to her often enough."

"Just one last time, please?"

They weren't friends, not even close and would probably never be. But Tsukasa was the only person who Subaru had ever met who understood that fact and was still willing to let Subaru haunt his shadow whenever bitter loneliness squeezed his heart a bit too hard. Subaru knew he hadn't been any fun to be around for months now, but Tsukasa didn't seem to mind. Tsukasa had never asked for anything from the brunet, so maybe…

"Just once."

Tsukasa's face lite up brilliantly and he let go of Subaru's arm. "Thank you." He turned to leave the two alone, no further comment given.

From there on out, everything fell on Luna.

"What do you want?" Subaru demanded. Just because he agreed to listen didn't mean he was obligated to be nice.

"You two must be good friends if you're willing to put up with me just because he asked."

"We aren't really friends. I just respect him." Subaru said more automatically than anything else because that was the safe thing to say. He didn't know what to do anymore with just one sentence. He never expected for Luna to admit, however indirectly, that she was a bother and to actually mean it. "And if he's helping you then I'll play along for now."

"…I see." Luna's voice was soft and understanding, without any of the ridged confidence Subaru had always heard in it. It was strange, wrong, for her to sound so…so vulnerable and weak to anyone. Could she actually…?

"Subaru…I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused you."

It was real. True regret and sorrow danced in the syllables, and its words held real meaning. It meant something important, and it terrified Subaru that someone he'd thought hopelessly stubborn like Luna could ever regret something so much she would actually back down. He rejected it, but it was weak to even his own ears. "That's…it's alright. Like I said, as long as you and I…then…"

Subaru couldn't find it in himself to stop it, and Luna continued, earnest. "You know, you were right, Subaru. No one's ever made me have to think that...No one besides my parents have ever told me that I was wrong. And you were right, again. I am pretty selfish, and, when I think about it…Not a whole lot of people in our class actually like me. If they did then I wouldn't have to work so hard to build my reputation…I think I've always known that but, I ignored it. I ignored it and look where it got me: I've been nothing but terrible to you and I didn't even think for a second I couldn't be right the whole time."

Luna bowed politely to him, "Thank you for being yourself, Hoshikawa, and again, I'm sorry for how I've treated you. I think that being around you would be nice, but I understand if you would still prefer we never spoke again."

"One week."

The words slipped from Subaru's lips before he could think. But when Luna looked at him, surprised and with a tiny fragment of hope embedded there somewhere, he knew he'd made the right choice. He could have stormed away and sulked before forgetting the entire ordeal, but…

But he was sick of always feeling a little bit empty all the time.

"Give me a week to…to cool off. I can't be nice to you now since everything just happened. But if you give me a week I think I could…start over."

Luna looked like he'd made her week before quickly composing herself, "Thank you, Hoshikawa."

"I should at least try…" Or he'd feel terribly guilty, but Luna didn't need to know that he was doing this for purely selfish reasons. The thoughts were heavy and dark, so Subaru struggled to shift the topic instead of simply leaving. A moment before he could say anything, Luna's Transer rang. The two of them jumped a little and Luna looked a bit embarrassed but ejected the earpiece and answered anyway.

Subaru shuffled restlessly, feeling awkward and out of place as Luna talked to whoever was on the other end. Suddenly, her voice picked up, and the blonde sounded alarmed. "He's gone out? But he was so tired before this! No, no, I get it…But I'm worried Gonta will get in trouble and walk into traffic or something with how spacy he's been lately. Wait there, I'll come to you. Goodbye, Kizamaro."

Luna had to leave then, clearly worried. Subaru was feeling generous and walked with her, listening to her ramble about Gonta's deteriorating health all the way to the Skyway station. He didn't have any words of comfort, but he was sure Luna didn't even want his opinion, but a person to vent her worries to. It didn't sound nearly as bad as she was making it anyway: Gonta had been losing energy for most of the week with a tendency to space out and walk right into walls. It would have been funny if it didn't present the very real problem of him walking right out into traffic, as Luna repeatedly mentioned.

Subaru didn't care all that much about any of them, so when Luna said her goodbyes to him at the station entrance, he just nodded. She looked disappointed for all of a second before determination won over and she rushed inside.

Suddenly without anything to do, Subaru found himself drifting around the surrounding area. It wasn't much, but he felt like something sweet and bought an overly sugary dessert. Treat in hand, Subaru sat down and finally took a moment to think about what had happened between himself and Luna. She cared about this too much and he had a feeling there was something he wasn't seeing. Why would anyone try so hard to make up with someone they never knew in the first place? Her apology left a bad taste in his mouth, but not like when he was disgusted with her. No, this felt deeper, twisting his insides into knots. It was-

Without warning, the peaceful rumbling of the city shattered with a terrible sound of screeching metal. The world below looked up just in time to watch the departing Skyway cars buckle in the middle, one of its supports shredded unnaturally. A sharp V now hung, suspended in the air and the world below cried out and pointed dramatically, worried but also helpless to do anything.

Minutes must have passed, stretched to eternity. The police arrived at some point and set a perimeter, rescuers had climbed the railing the Skyway cart connected to and were pulling people out and to safety. But none of that mattered to Subaru. Because, through his Visualizer, he could see it. Blurry waves he'd learned were viruses hoarding around the controls, eating away at the programming like acid, and acting with unnatural intent. Viruses were never organized, only able to swarm in a vaguely cohesive charge that deleted the viruses themselves as well as whatever they were targeting. Yet this was anything but, with no viruses even attempting to cannibalize each other, no incidental deletion, just a single-minded attack.

It was organized.

The Skyway suddenly turned on and surged forward. The dipping carts were pulled up and taunt, and for a second the entire thing lurched as if would move. Only, the support in the back had locked tight. Panic spread and the surrounding world exploded with noise and screams as the strain quickly became too much and a cart ripped in at the end. Subaru's world whited-out, narrowed, and muted. It was an awkward time, and the tram was practically empty. Because of that, nearly everyone had gotten out in only a few minutes. Except not everyone. For when the cart ripped, a small form tumbled helplessly, missing any handholds, and was suddenly surrounded in nothing but open air.

Luna was falling to her death.

And Subaru could do nothing.

* * *

It happened fast and without warning. One second the rescue workers were pulling people up the rope ladder, and then the next the world heaved beneath their feet for the second time.

Luna was cradled in strong arms, her side injured in the fall making it painful to breathe deeply and too risky to climb by herself. The situation was extreme- two Skyway carts buckled and slanted at nearly sixty degrees –but under control and quickly being solved. They were afraid of the carts falling, yes, but for now ,the two other supports and the cart's own pressure was holding things up.

Luna really hadn't expected her day to take such a drastic turn, but, just as when she'd left Subaru, she was determined. Things had gone better than she'd ever dared hope, as Tsukasa, for all his supportiveness, hadn't been able to do more than slightly ease her fears. But he'd been right that the best thing she could do was to be open, honest, and let her softer emotions lead. It was frightening to do with someone who'd held her in contempt, and yet she must have done something right for him to even give her a chance. Just a few minutes ago she'd been happy, filled with fire born from success and confident in her abilities once again. She was already on track to salvage everything, and she wasn't about to let this deter her.

Taking this as a sign or something would be silly.

The world tilted again, the dipping bottom of the cart pulling up abruptly. The man holding her fell and Luna tumbled to the ground, stopping only when she hit the far wall. A wall that should've still be still bowing downward, but was now perfectly level, as if nothing had happened… She blinked dumbly at the sudden shift and pulled her face up, looking around and too stunned to realize what she was hearing. It was loud, grating, growing, and-

A dozen feet in front of her, between her and the other passengers, the windows shattered, the walls tore, and she couldn't process what was happening. It was impossible, something that simple couldn't, she refused to believe it-!

The Skyway cart tore in two and the floor dropped out from Luna's feet.

Luna hit something. A chair, a pole, some luggage, whatever it was, it knocked the air form her, stunned her, and the rest of that tight world slipped past before she could breathe again. When she focused again, it was on the sky, cut into two slices by a thick metal bar. The moment crystalized, and to her right ,a Skyway cart and a third swung freely and abnormally slowly, like a red pendulum. On her right two thirds of the cart tilted awkwardly down, and she could see a person who'd nearly tumbled off the ripped edge being hauled up by the same man who'd held her.

It was impossibly selfish, but in that moment Luna felt oddly betrayed. A distance of twenty feet separated them, but she'd wished he'd somehow caught her.

' _Why did you let me fall?'_

There was nothing he could have done, but in that moment, Luna cursed him.

The moment shattered, broke to pieces, and she was falling once again. The wind stole her breath, her hearing, and all sense of touch except for the feeling of life slipping past her hands. So Luna willingly gave it her sight, closing her eyes and pretending she was in a dream. A dream where she was falling, not to the unforgiving ground, but into the warm embrace of her parents that she could barely recall.

She must have died, because she could feel that embrace around her. It wasn't as warm, wasn't as soft, and she was being carried instead of hugged, but she could feel hands supporting her back, scooped under her knees, and the sensation of falling ceased. Luna opened her eyes to the sight of golden wings of falling hair.

She must have died, for Luna was sure an angel had just caught her.

* * *

The relief Subaru felt was a nearly physical thing. Somehow Zero Blade had appeared at the last possible second, manifesting midair next to Luna's falling form and scooping her up. He'd absorbed the impact flawlessly, taking a knee and absorbing enough of the force with his own body that Luna hardly even shifted. It was a sight out of a movie, with red armor that vaguely resembled a knight and golden hair that settled flawlessly instead of turning into one tangled knot like it should have.

"You're alright now." Zero Blade said, calm and collected like he hadn't just dropped at least a hundred feet.

It was no wonder Luna's face lit up like the sun, red spilling into her cheeks so fast Subaru could see it happen even from where he was. She was trying to shy away from her savior and get a better look at him at the same time, stuttering and looking terrible embarrassed. Zero Blade himself looked smug and overly pleased with himself, brushing off anything Luna was trying to say to him and, once again, seeming to talk to himself. It was for this reason he didn't realize what was happening until the scream of tortured metal hit like a wave. By then it was too late, Zero Blade had just enough time to look up and-

The Skyway cart fell and crushed Zero Blade and Luna.

Subaru couldn't breathe. It was such a…such a sudden demise his mind refused to process it. The cart had landed perfectly flat; meaning all that was left under it was…something terrible Subaru couldn't even imagine. Something bloody, redder than even the armor the failed hero wore, a distant part of him thought, dropping into cynicism before he broke then and there. There really wasn't anything special-

There was nothing flashy about it, and yet it was stunning all the same. As if it were the most natural thing in the world, Zero Blade walked from the wreckage. Walked _through_ it, passing through the wall of metal easily, almost carelessly, and looking slightly irritated at worst. Luna, in contrast, was wall-eyed and hugging her fellow blond very much for her life, shivering as her body impossibly passed through solid objects. It made getting her to let go when he set her down a chore. A chore that took long enough that at least one of the circling cops broke formation and stormed up.

Or maybe not an actual cop, off-green trench coat certainly not part of the uniform. It took him only a few seconds to be within striking distance of Zero Blade, and the world seemed to tense as he reached out. Except his had went right past the red warrior, grabbed Luna's arm, and yanked the stunned and slightly shaking girl away and behind him, his body between Zero Blade and her, as if he were shielding her.

Zero Blade either didn't notice or didn't care and crossed his arms, looking up at the detective with a challenging stare, "Excuse you."

"Excuse yourself first." The man said, and Zero Blade looked a bit taken aback, "I'm detective Goyoda, and I'd like to know what the heck you think you've been doing all this time? Do you have _any idea_ how-"

Zero Blade, several inches shorter than Goyoda, still somehow managed to get up in the detective's face and yell back at him, "What am _I_ doing? What the hell is this city doing!? How could something this insane even happen in the first place? What shoddy metal are you using for it to suddenly give way like that?"

"That isn't what I was-!"

"And the heck have _you_ even been doing this whole time? A whole lot of nothing, that's what! The security for Skyways sucks, by the way. A dozen viruses ate through the firewalls before I could do anything! I thought something big like a Skyway was supposed to be strong."

The borderline non sequitur Goyoda normally would have ignored was so oddly worded he just had to know, "Viruses? You mean you can see them?"

"Of course." Zero Blade waved the disbelief away, sounding as if the detective was the crazy one. He gestured vaguely to the cars parked some distance away and baffled onlookers, "Though all I'm seeing right now is a whole lot of police incompetence."

"What were we supposed to do?"

"I don't know, figure it out. That's your job, not mine."

It was such an…ignorant and arrogant response that Goyoda had heard so many times that the sheer normality of it all gave him a feeling vaguely similar to vertigo. Before he really noticed, he was reciting the same response he gave everyone who ever made the mistake of complaining to his face, "You can't just say 'we should do more' and then give us nothing to go on. It isn't that simple!"

"Maybe get out some of those old jump nets that the firemen used to use?"

That was an ungodly terrible idea. And such an idiotically childish one at that, "…Those haven't been used since the 1980s. Just how old are the cartoons you watch?"

"C-Cartoons? I don't-!" Zero Blade sputtered, feeling indignant. He was _far_ too old to be (caught) watching something as kiddy as _cartoons!_ "At least it would've been something in case someone fell!"

' _No, it would have been literally worse.'_ Goyoda thought, and realized that, while he wasn't dealing with the worst-case scenario, it was pretty close to it. After all, how much damage could someone as powerful as Zero Blade do by sheer accident simply because he clearly didn't understand how the world worked? What if he had instead jumped up to catch that girl instead of matching her fall? He'd almost surely have killed her when he abruptly reversed her momentum. Shattered her spine, pulverized her bones and organs!

An ignorant _child_ was before him, and another shivering behind him, and he wondered exactly when the world had gone mad, "Do you have any idea how unsafe those things ever were?"

"Well, then it's a good thing I'm here, huh?"

Zero Blade was ungodly cocky, and that combined with the sheer power the kid had rubbed Goyoda in all the wrong ways. "A whole lot of good you'll be doing since you aren't even paying attention to the cart right above your head."

"Eh, Zero will tell me if something happens."

And mental issues were suddenly very viable. Fantastic. "Zero? Now you're referring to yourself in the third person."

"Hey, I can do whatever I want…What are you doing?" Zero Blade looked at the handcuff suddenly on him. Which was latched just above his elbow, since the bracers were too thick to even think of fitting a cuff around.

"Pretty much anyone with any sort of power has business with you," Goyoda grossly understated, and was unsurprised when the blond looked unimpressed. He probably didn't consider anyone a threat to him with the power that had been dropped in his lap. "And since you can cloak yourself somehow, this is the only way I can make sure you don't slip away."

"So what, are you going to lead me back to your office like this? With no warrant?"

The girl Goyoda had shielded stilled, but the detective ignored it, "You're an exception."

"Boy, I sure feel special."

"Whatever tech you're using is very, _very_ , illegal. The cloaking alone is war-level, and when you take into account the strength enhancements, ability to rapid-travel across the world though an unknown means, levitation tech, and solid-energy weapons that's beyond anything anyone's ever seen, and you're a walking armory of illegal tech. It's important we learn where you got all that, because someone somewhere has broken every international law relating to war-level tech to date with you."

"Sucks for your superiors because this isn't anything any secret organization gave me." Zero Blade sucked in a breath dramatically, "I got it from a basically magical energy-alien who combines with me in a way that is not unlike a knock-off transformation sequence in order to save his not-buddy who stole a key to literally blow up the world from their immortal king. Or former king, since they've both kind of betrayed him. Which is good for us, I guess."

It was said with a perfectly serious poker face and Goyoda would've been impressed with the story if he hadn't dealt with plenty of crazy in his life. Instead, he just felt annoyed and knew life was going to get worse for whoever tried to get information out of Zero Blade.

"Looks like you're a real smartass."

Zero Blade shrugged before gesturing to a slightly dazed Luna no one had bothered to collect yet. Probably because it meant getting near him and everyone was afraid he'd get stabby if he felt surrounded, "That's some damn harsh language to be using around kids. You might set an even worse example than you already have."

Goyoda looked like he was about to have an aneurism on the spot.

Luna threw herself into the conversation, abruptly and without a care, "You can't arrest Sir Zero Blade! He saved my life and I'm sure he's helped a lot of people!"

"Sir? Since when…?"

"I know he's done a lot here, but the laws are-"

Two voices spoke up simultaneously, but Luna only homed in on one of them and rounded on the detective, ignoring her own pain and still riding the high of her survival, "Well then the laws are stupid! Sir Zero Blade is a hero, a knight! And he's done nothing wrong whatsoever and you want to arrest him like a criminal!"

'Sir' Zero Blade cocked his head, curious and confused that he'd actually missed something, "Seriously? Sir?"

He was, of course, ignored.

"He's dangerous and we need to know where he got that technology! Anyone who's manufacturing tech that powerful and giving to _children_ is clearly insane and-"

"It's from basically magic energy-aliens, don't you pay attention?" The 'child' in question waved his hand casually, as if that dismissed the issue, "And what's with the whole 'sir' thing?"

"O-Oh! Oh well, you're like," Luna flushed, bluster gone when she realized she had her savior's attention. Was it her, or were his eyes unnaturally intense? "Well, you're like a knight!"

"Uh-huh." The 'knight' drawled, sounding unimpressed. He was pretty sure he knew what this was, but already? Really?

"I mean you have the armor, and a sword, and you…you saved…me."

Luna was really blushing now, and Zero Blade would've had to been blind to not see that she, almost surely an _elementary school_ girl, had a crush on him. What the heck, wasn't she still supposed to think guys were gross? He certainly didn't care for the girls in his own class who had started throwing themselves at certain guys, much less a kid barely older than his sister! Ok, that was a bit of an exaggerating, but still. Now he just felt like a creep.

He would've told her as much if he hadn't felt a vaguely annoying tugging at his arm. Oh right, he was technically being arrested. The pulling continued and Zero Blade realized the detective was probably trying to drag him along and overpower him with his superior height. Except the red warrior was _far_ stronger and weighed a lot more with the armor, and what would have pulled most anyone his age clean off their feet was an annoying sensation at best.

Goyoda somehow managed to not look visibly flustered when his efforts failed and did his best to cover it up, "This is a waste of time, you're coming with me."

Luna was enraged, going so far as to stamp her foot and seethe, "W-Wait, you can't just-! How dare you! You don't even have a warrant!"

"No, no, no." As hilarious as it would have been to watch the so-called detective get verbally lashed by a girl not even five-foot, Zero Blade decided he'd show this man his place _himself_ , thank you very much, "The incompetent police man here is right."

"Detective."

"You say that like I care. Anyway, he's right. The law always goes after heroes because they're all jealous, you know. Heroes get all the cool weapons and do all the cool things, and we don't have to answer to anyone. We're above the law and all that. The only problem here is that, well…"

Zero Blade suddenly pulled his arm _through_ the solid cuff like it was just a hologram. There was no sign of damage, it hadn't been unlocked, hadn't been tampered with, and yet the red warrior was free. Goyoda made a mad swipe for the cocky blond…and his hand went right through and he nearly fell on his face. In fact, he was half-standing _in_ the blond when he recovered and jerked back in shock. It was like he wasn't even there, a hologram maybe? But when..?

Zero Blade plucked the cuffs right out of the detective's hands and tossed them around, proving he very much was real and solid…only when he wanted to be. "The law, quite literally, can't touch me."

"You're not clever." The detective's deadpan could have flattened _mountains_.

"That look on your face a moment ago says otherwise." Zero Blade dropped the cuffs back into Goyoda's hands and gave his shoulder a condescending pat. He was real, he was solid, there was actual _weight_ behind that gesture, and yet the next second the blond stepped through Goyoda as if he were less than a breath. "Good luck catching me when I'm literally untouchable unless I say so."

Goyoda glared hard at the teen, doing his best to ignore the hero-worship practically rolling off the girl beside him. He hadn't disappeared when he'd pulled that stunt, but the detective had seen, for the briefest moment, a slight flicker and fading to his form. The blond had looked ever so slightly translucent for just a moment, and anyone else would've said he'd switched places with a hologram and cloaked. Except the man had felt something _off_ when it'd happened. Nothing terrible, just a faint tingling, but just enough to make him consider the possibility that maybe, just maybe, Zero Blade wasn't using cloaking and holograms at all. After all, he reported actually seeing viruses, and then there was the matter of crisscrossing the world in a matter of an hour…

It was insane, impossible really, but it explained a few things he'd never liked dismissing as technical tricks. Well, Zero Blade was a fairly impulsive teenager, so it was worth a shot.

Goyoda said, without a hint of anything except absolute certainty, "You're manipulating your own state of matter, aren't you?"

Zero Blade whirled and gaped at him. "How the _hell_ did you figure that out?"

"Just a guess, but it's always nice when such a simple trick works."

"You…! You piece of- yes I _know_ , shut up. Like, right now." And once again Zero Blade was suddenly seemingly talking to himself. Except now that Goyoda was less than ten feet from him, he could see the slight silt of his head to one side, listening. The teen, suddenly visibly flushed with embarrassment, rounded on the detective and pointed at him, "It's not like that helps you in any way shape or form!"

"Actually, now that we know that we can start developing counter-measures against you." In theory. 'Manipulating matter' was an ungodly vague description to go off of, and possible not even what was actually happening since he seriously doubted a teenager knew the ins and outs of theoretical physics. But Goyoda had faith in those who did the more technical things to figure something out, even if this information only made his stomach sink even more. Just what could this kid _not_ break into if he wanted?

"Oooh, I'm so threatened by some washed-up…Areyou _kidding_ -!"

Goyoda must've suddenly been hit by a miniature truck, because when Zero Blade shoved him he soared nearly thirty feet away. Something was seriously bruised, maybe cracked even, but he didn't care, even as he flew back through the air and realized he was going to fall hard. He couldn't care because something more important happened in that moment of suspension, that moment of clarity when everything went wrong.

Zero Blade was abducted.

Goyoda could only watch as Zero Blade was snatched up by a blur of blue and white. Caught mid-turn in his attempt to counter, the red warrior was carried into the sky with no way to do anything but squirm. The detective landed just as hard as he thought he would, twisting his wrist terribly, but it didn't matter and he was staggering to look up. The literally blue man that had grabbed the teen suddenly threw his prey away and the green blade awkwardly positioned to stab him missed widely. He darted to the side on ivory wings that glittered unnaturally, dangerously, dressed in a blue bodysuit that bled to black armor on his legs.

The detective thought Zero Blade could fly, but apparently, that wasn't the case and the blond continued to fall, looking around wildly for purchase. His winged attacker (who had a _swan helmet,_ what the _hell_?) twisted effortlessly in the air, and suddenly those unnaturally bright feathers were flying at Zero Blade. The blond pulled another sword hilt from literally nowhere and held it out. Green gushed from its sides as if it had detonated, and a makeshift wall intercepted the feathers. They hissed as their tips melted and dulled when they deflected off it, down to the streets below where they still buried themselves several inches into the concrete.

Luna cowered and screamed, echoing the panicked crowd, but all the feathers had missed her. By a wide enough margin it was clear she wasn't a target, but close enough that it was just as clear she could have very easily been collateral. Feathers continued peppering the area like a machinegun, targeting Zero Blade the entire time he fell and continued to rain over the area. Luna looked around wildly, terrified to move, but screeching as one missed her foot by an inch. Taking a wild chance, she ran off in the direction that seemed to have the fewest feathers.

Goyoda was forced to retreat to cover around a corner or become a pincushion himself. He didn't hear any pained screams, so he took that as a good sign and waited for the impacts to stop before risking a look out.

Well, at least he had his proof of there being a third party.

* * *

Tamotsu had landed on a Wave Road (finally!) and glared at who could only be Cygnus if the swan motif was any indication. Cygnus something or other, if what Zero had told him about naming EM changes held true among non-traitors to the crown or whatever, "So, finally decided to fight me, eh? Wasn't feeling up for it on the Wave Road?"

Cygnus twisted his mostly-human face into an ugly mockery of an expression that might have resembled a sneer. Except his eyes were too wide, almost glassy-looking beads, and his mouth stretched too far to be normal. His skin looked overstretched and waxy with forced perfection, like a doll, "I can assure you, Zero, that this will be quick."

"Oh it will be, I know that." Tamotsu grinned wickedly at the FM, "I won't even waste time asking you to let that person go, Cygnus."

It was pointless and Zero's timely reminder of that fact wasn't needed. There was too much on the line for the enemy to just give up like that, and Cygnus seemed confident. But Tamotsu had been training hard and the attacks he'd been bombarded with were weak and slow. Or he was just that strong already.

Tamotsu grinned wildly. He liked that thought.

"My name is Cygnus Wing now."

"Whatev-"

And then a freight train of red and heat hit the blond. Except instead of knocking him to the side and away so he could _breathe_ , it grabbed him by the head and slammed him back towards the Wave Road. Zero changed his state before he hit, and Tamotsu hoped to God and back that there wasn't anyone standing below him when he hit the pavement and it cracked ominously. There was no pain, Zero made sure of that, but icy terror slowed time when he saw whatever had tried to attack him falling through the road and right on top of him. A meteor of red and fire and death if he didn't get a handle on the situation.

Tamotsu rolled out of the way and used the shockwave behind him to propel himself in the air. Except a hand half as big as his entire body grabbed his leg with bone-crushing force and swung his body into the ground. Rock exploded around him, enveloping his spinning sight with nothing but crumbled ground and choking dust. Vertigo and almost complete numbness that soaked his limbs meant Tamotsu didn't realize he was being picked up until he was even with his attacker's face. He was looking at a…bull? Yes, a metal bull dyed pure red and so hot that the air surrounding it wavered.

Somewhere above him and filled with pride and self-satisfaction, Cygnus taunted.

"And his name is Ox Fire."


	5. Breaking Point

Chapter 5: Breaking Point

 **Here's the first real fight of the series, and boy is it a bit of a doozy. No real questions/comments I can respond to this time either, so nothing much to say here.**

* * *

"Flee, now!"

Tamotsu really didn't need Zero's prompting. He'd quickly realized how literal a name "Ox Fire" was when flames started licking at Ox Fire's muzzle. Normal fire couldn't hurt him, but whatever the newest arrival was using was very much capable of doing exactly that.

It nearly burned his hands off, but Tamotsu dug his fingers in the ridges of Ox Fire's armor and pulled himself closer to the superheated body than he would've liked. In a moment of insanity brought on by fear of taking a flamethrower to the face, the blond summoned his signature sword and stabbing Ox Fire directly in _his_ face, digging the blade into a gap in the plated armor. Fire still exploded outward, but the giant bull reared back and blindly scrambled for the green sword dangerously close to his eyes and obstructing his vision.

Tamotsu, still held by the other hand, let go and fell back, and, in a move that should've dislocated his leg and spine in one go, managed to grab onto the orange tubing on the back of Ox Fire's gauntlets. There was no real plan, just an attempt to get away from his attacker's face and shield as much of his body as possible.

"The area around his knuckles is weaker!" Zero informed quickly, guiding the boy as best he could.

With the fire shooting through the tubes it was even hotter, but his body was more than a little numbed by Zero at this point, so he barely felt it and refused to let go even as his leg twisted in a terribly wrong direction. The blond blindly stabbed at the exposed joints of Ox Fire's had in a frenzy to free himself. Something gave, the grip loosened, and Tamotsu heard Zero in his ear calm as ever with instructions. Letting go and swinging back _again_ , the teen planted his free foot against Ox Fire's hand and pushed off. He slipped free but didn't relax and, the second he had the slightest hint of purchase and grip on the ground, simply concentrated and _moved_ the way Zero had taught him. The ground cratered as Ox Fire attempted to trample him, but Tamotsu was already a hundred feet away, gone in a nearly explosive burst of waves he'd coated his feet in.

Tamotsu turned the resulting stumble from the sudden location shift into the momentum to spin and face Ox Fire. The bull was already quite literally charging him, horns forefront and everything, and Tamotsu nearly bit his tongue off with how quickly he was forced to dive to the side.

Tamotsu, fast and as small as he was, cursed and darted around Ox Fire's next charge easy, but the wave of sheet heat that swept past was unnerving, "You never told me I'd be fighting _this_!"

"Cygnus is smart. Ox is already in Overdrive." Zero said, voice still only just the tiniest possible bit removed from 'perfectly calm'.

"Overdrive? You mean 'unkillable rage mode', right?" Tamotsu cursed as Ox Fire's fingers swept through his hair. If his hair was normal and capable of being grabbed…Well, that was an unpleasant thought, "What is this crap! I thought certain wavelengths or whatever was needed to trigger it? Looks like he's triggered it well enough himself!" The thrown sword bounced harmlessly off Ox Fire's armor.

"War-Rock says that it is likely Harp was able to artificially trigger it." Zero recited after a moment in which he was assumedly communicating with War-Rock.

"He couldn't _help_ somehow, could he?" Tamotsu hissed and just managed to dodge the dozens of knife-feathers. It was difficult enough to deal with the charging bull, but with Cygnus Wing being an opportunistic _ass_ and taking pot-shots at him at every chance-!

Tamotsu was suddenly aware how terrible things for him were.

He knew War-Rock couldn't double-fuse with him or anything like that. The other FM life form was still technically with Tamotsu, but in the same way, his original clothes and, in particular, his Transer were. There but not really; curled into a little figurative ball and set to the side by Zero where it was still technically on his person, but inaccessible. War-Rock was simply loitering in said ball after much pestering so he at least had something to _watch_.

He hadn't ever moved from that ball, so maybe, just maybe, Tamotsu hoped…

Zero, the pragmatic one, crushed that hope ruthlessly, "No, if War-Rock attempted to alter your Wave Change in any way, it'd be just as likely to kill you as to help. Our energies would almost surely war with each other and tear your body apart."

' _Well that was just great!'_ Tamotsu thought bitterly and shielded himself from another barrage of Cygnus Wing's feathers in Ox Fire's shadow for a half-second when the red giant lost sight of him.

Except Cygnus Wing had no issues raining sharp death on his own ally, didn't let up even the tiniest bit and suddenly Tamotsu didn't have that slight hesitation he'd been counting on. Ox Fire might as well have been being hit by pillows for all the damage he was taking, so it didn't even matter. The blond himself hesitated to run straight into the blades raining from the sky for a mere moment. A mere moment in which Ox Fire turned and slammed a fist into the teen that sent him spiraling away into the twenty-something floor of an office building.

Zero changed his wavelength just in time that he flew through the building instead of into its wall, but Tamotsu still couldn't catch his balance in time. He fell through a half dozen floors before his state abruptly changed again. He still very nearly went through the floor anyway, something cracking ominously under him as people screamed around him.

Zero was merciless and pitiless as Tamotsu stood, "Hold out for as long as you can. War-Rock will escape when he can, and we'll keep attention away from him."

"What!? What about _me_?"

"War-Rock claims that-"

The office building shook _violently_ and above him, an enraged roar rang out. Tamotsu nearly bit his tongue out at that and looked up, trying to estimate how many floors up Ox Fire was as people fled past him in droves.

' _Figures he wouldn't wait for me to get out.'_ Tamotsu thought and weighed his options. He was Ox Fire's main target, but the FM was a berserker now, who knew how many people would get hurt if the bull didn't have something to focus on?

A sound that was suspiciously like a floor crumbling shook the building again, and Tamotsu quite suddenly realized Ox Fire was probably charging through the levels, looking for him. If he happened to land on anyone…

"Wait one second! War-Rock can-!"

No, Tamotsu decided, he couldn't wait and was leaping up and phasing through the floors in seconds. It sucked getting knocked around so easily, but now that Cygnus Wing couldn't get a clear shot, he'd have a chance. Tamotsu soared up through the floors, and, by pure luck, ended up perfectly behind Ox Fire. His state was physical with barely a thought and he flipped, roof serving as his inverted floor for a half second of time.

In that half-second, he noticed many things, his mind processing it all inhumanly fast thanks to Zero's meddling. Ox Fire had guessed wrong and decided to go up instead of down, and not gracefully, as the massive hole in the floor told proudly. People had scattered from their cubicles in droves, but many took their chances with hiding, and some were simply in shock. A person, a man, mid-forties and in a now-ruined suit, was trapped in Ox Fire's shadow, eyes stretched wide and screaming bloody murder. A cheap cup spilled water on the floor next to him. It was easy to find the water cooler, a, equally cheap giant thing made for heavy traffic.

Tamotsu pushed off the roof, caving it. He landed inches from the metal water cooler and ripped the contraption free from its bolting. Ox Fire already saw him, was turning, and Tamotsu only had a second to stab the metal contraption and draw a slit down the side. The bull was too close to dodge, so the teen held the container as a makeshift shield and braced himself.

Slit facing upward, water exploded in a pseudo geyser and fake rain drenched the two. It instantly steamed on contact with Ox Fire and the world turned to thick clouds. Unprepared, the FM blindly swung and Tamotsu ducked it easily, keeping low and curling around, past the bull's guard. Two glowing baton-like swords were in his hands and the blond struck without hesitation, driving one into Ox Fire's side. A fist drove down, crushing all, but Tamotsu spun around it, around the FM and stabbed, cutting deep.

Tamotsu was feeling proud up to the point when Ox Fire smacked him right into the elevator shaft.

Stunned and without purchase, Tamotsu fell the dozen-plus floors and hit the bottom with a crack, reinforced doors crashing next to him. Metal crumbled under him and he laid there, dazed and numb, his hair spread around him like a bleeding sun. The world spun in a mad dance, and the dot of red plummeting towards him appeared a blurred spiral he couldn't identify.

Zero took charge and tried to direct him with a simple command of "Run right!", but everything was terrible and Tamotsu tripped gracelessly over the twisted metal around him. A meteor wreathed in fire destroyed everything mere inches behind him. Unnatural fire surged and swallowed the empty space, ate at his body and life equally. Through some blessing, he was blasted away, propelled through the walls and back into the streets and away from the burning flames. Tamotsu hit the ground, skipped, as lifeless as a stone, and rolled limply until a light fixture stopped him.

The human didn't get back up.

Cygnus Wing didn't dare get any closer. Broken human or not, there was a very good reason Zero was so infamous even so many years after his defection. If _it_ were to happen, it would be now, with Ox Fire closing in with measured steps that crushed the very earth and soon that human's skull. No, if Zero were to play his trump card then the only chance for both he and Ox Fire was his air superiority.

When Ox Fire was mere feet away, when there was no sudden shift, when it was obvious it was over, only then did Cygnus Wing smirk, "Is that truly it, Zero? Are you really already so exhausted? It seems your arrogance has made it far too late for you to use your own power."

The human didn't stir, not even when Ox Fire reached for his head, intent on crushing it in his hands. Wave barriers or not, the raw force the bull could produce would be more enough to bypass all that defense. The shadow of an executioner loomed long and dark, and still, the human did not move.

The massive hand, no, only two of its oversized fingers, were grasped by two hands, tiny in comparison.

Tamotsu shot the bull a grin, eyes alight with fire a thousand times more intense than anything the FM could ever hope to produce.

The blond leaped up and onto the massive hand. He was gone before Ox Fire could even so much as twitch, up the extended arm like a bridge and pushed off the bull's head and into the sky.

 _Tamotsu hadn't even stopped rolling when Zero told him to play dead. The explanation as to why was simple:_

" _The human War-Rock is compatible with is nearby."_

It was insane Tamotsu had recovered so fast, insane he could still move so freely, but he felt _fantastic_ as Zero saturated his body with its own natural hormones and he didn't worry, didn't think about anything too hard. His goal was simple, easy in fact.

" _War-Rock needs several seconds to escape." Even if the voice was as flat as ever, it was enough._

Tamotsu soared higher and higher until he was near-level with Cygnus Wing. The swan was too shocked to move away, and Tamotsu grinned, filled with vicious thoughts, _'You want a distraction? Fine!'_

The weapon was there, reliable as always, and struck Cygnus Wing like a snake, wrapping around and pinning his left arm and wing to his side. Dying momentum and gravity did the rest and the FM was dragged down by the weight, single free wing too weak and awkward to stop him. Robbed of his flight, Cygnus Wing could do nothing when a burst of green light erupted from Tamotsu.

"War-Rock, you were always-!" Cygnus Wing gasped in surprise, freefall and struggle temporarily forgotten. With his free arm, he vainly stretched to restrain the traitor, but couldn't reach.

The FM in question quickly condensed into the familiar beastly form and was gone in a second.

Tamotsu landed on a Wave Road and braced himself. Cygnus Wing fell past until the chain pulled taut, a scream of rage abruptly turning to one of pain as the tiny energy blades dug into him. Tamotsu, however, was far from done and twisted, pulling the whip along and throwing it at a still-confused Ox Fire.

When Cygnus Wing hit his ally, the bull didn't so much as twitch, letting the swan bounce off and tumble to the ground. Or would have, if the Chain Rod hadn't grown brittle the moment it left Tamotsu's hands and shattered. Cygnus Wing flipped and landed crouched on the ground. Deep, already-healing marks marred his body and scarred his wing, but otherwise, he seemed unhurt, the heat of the FM behind him a non-issue. Ox Fire outright ignored the swan and fire gathered near his muzzle, targeting Tamotsu.

Tamotsu had _really_ been hoping Ox Fire would attack Cygnus Wing, but it seemed as if the bull at least knew who was enemy and who was an ally. Cygnus Wing himself shot the blond an absolutely _murderous_ look as he stood, dagger-wings catching the light ominously when Ox Fire bellowed a wall of flames at Tamotsu. He dodged easily, but suddenly…

Cygnus Wing suddenly spoke, "You shouldn't have done that. I wanted Zero alive to present to King Cepheus, but I'm sick of this game."

* * *

Subaru ducked back down when the lull in the fighting abruptly ended with a very loud _bang_. Cowarding in a side street more or less blocked off by a dumpster and terribly parked car, Subaru felt relatively safe. It helped that the fighting had slowly moved down the street and farther away until the brunet had to actively look around the corner to see even the tiniest licks of fire being tossed around.

When Subaru's Transer suddenly pinged he nearly jumped out of his skin.

The brunet shot a look down at the device and opened the lid, planning to mute it. He froze when he saw a strange blue and green beast peering up from the screen with eerie red-on-red eyes.

Subaru's first thought was that a virus had infected his Transer. A massive, strange, possible mutant virus that acted like it cared he was there.

"Hey there, kid."

Subaru stared, too dumbstruck to react. _What._

The beast somehow looked uncomfortable even with its foreign and beastal face, "Uh, what's your name?"

"…Subaru."

"Ah. That's a….nice name? Humans care about names a lot, right? Ah no, I haven't even…"

The strange beast trailed off, muttering to itself (himself?), about 'names'. Feeling suddenly ignored, Subaru risked speaking up, "Um, and what's…"

"My name is…" The impossible beast spewed out a strange series of half-sounds that fell over each other with a grating clatter that sounded like a cross between static and scrapping glass, "…Which translates to more or less 'War-Rock'. Kid?'

Subaru had flinched away, almost physically hurt by the sound, "Never do that again. Ever."

"That's my native language, kid. I'd thought you of all people would be fascinated by it."

"It sounds _terrible_. Like you're killing a cat, except a lot worse. And what do you mean-"

Something exploded violently out of sight and Subaru pulled tight against the car to avoid anything that may have flown into the street. War-Rock devolved into terrible sounds once more, before desperately getting the brunet's attention, "Hey, hey kid! Subaru! I need your help, and you're the only one who can do this, you hear? How would you like to be the next Zero Blade? Well, we'd be something like War Claw, no, wait, that sounds like I'm trying too hard…"

"What are you talking about?" Subaru interrupted angrily. This…thing just suddenly showed up and decided to lie to him? "I can't be like Zero Blade- he's a superhero!"

"Yes, you can and will! There isn't time to explain a whole lot, but I can give you the same powers as Zero Blade. And Zero Blade needs backup right now."

"No, he doesn't. He's-"

A scream rang out. A very young sounding scream and Subaru was looking around the corner before he knew it, just in time to see Zero Blade flung to the ground- right in front of the massive bull creature. Before scared brown eyes, the bull grabbed the teen from his where he'd crumpled to the ground with one hand, reared back, and hurled the red hero into the ground with devastating force. The bull pinned Zero Blade with a foot, and fire licked at its muzzle.

Subaru turned away a moment before the flames washed over the blond, unable to watch and trembling slightly.

War-Rock didn't flinch, but he did grimace at the sight. He didn't have time to be doing this, and yet here he was, "You see? He's strong, but he can't fight both of them off-"

Subaru cut him off, reply flat, "I can't do that."

"I told you, I can make you just like…"

"I can't do that!" A dam broke and Subaru was shaking, "Fighting, getting hit like that, any of it! I can't do that; I can't deal with that kind of stuff! It'll hurt!"

Pain, something War-Rock scoffed at but he guessed it made sense a child would be so afraid of it. At least that was a simple solution, "Well it's a good thing I can block any pain you'd feel, so problem solved. And it's a good thing that you've got some decent long-range Battle Cards in here so you won't have to know how to _actually_ fight. Not as many as I'd have liked, but it'll do. I only have one real idea about how I'll be able to use them, but it'll have to do."

"What…?"

"Listen to me, kid." A beat, "Subaru. You can do this because you _have_ to do this. If Zero Blade loses, this whole rock of yours gets blow up." Subaru reeled back and tried to say something, but War-Rock spoke over him with hurried words, "I'll tell you everything after you've _won_ , but until then just trust me and fight. I'll do most of the actual work and guide you and keep you out of the way. All you have to do is point a weapon and fire." War-Rock admired how patient he was being, but it was wearing thin. Now if only Subaru would understand the gravity of what was happening and just…

"But I…" Can't really do anything, couldn't ever be as amazing as Zero Blade. He'd never fought anyone in his life and the idea of it terrified him.

"Would you stop overthinking it so much?" War-Rock snapped, finally letting nervous anger rule him as he shouted, determined to drag this kid into his mess even if they both hated it, "All you have to do is get out there and use your Battle Cards and be a distraction! Zero and his human will take care of the rest, it isn't that hard! You won't even have to really fight!"

Subaru didn't reply, his silence answer enough. War-Rock wanted to punch something. He needed to know for sure the kid was ok with Wave Changing before he tried anything or else he risked a Possession instead of a Partnership. And that would cause more harm than good at this point.

"I don't see what's…!" War-Rock paused and thought for a moment, "You're still here because you want to protect everyone else here but don't know how, right? I'm giving you a way to protect all those people and a _lot_ more."

Subaru stopped, taken aback and thoughts drifting to a recent past. The ideal he'd always wanted to be, the kind and strong person who protected others as naturally as breathing just like his father had…He remembered Luna falling and the helplessness he'd felt, how useless he'd been. So maybe if did this, he could actually be strong, and then…

"War-Rock…if I can…"

The scream of a young girl _dying_ cut him off.

* * *

"Ox. Destroy him."

It was at that exact moment that everything started going terribly, _horribly_ , wrong, Tamotsu decided.

It wasn't as if Ox Fire had gotten any stronger, or activated an Overdrive for his Overdrive or anything. No, the blond quickly realized that those words were just a misdirection Cygnus Wing had casually tossed out, and one he'd swallowed without a thought. Because while he was busy directing the bull charging him into walls, Cygnus Wing swooped past and nearly took his arm off with a simple brush of his wings.

It only got worse from there.

Suddenly Cygnus Wing wasn't playing a passive role and only taking cheap and relatively easy to dodge shots at Tamotsu. With maneuverability that the blond simple couldn't have, Cygnus Wing bombarded him constantly and from all sides. Suddenly the Wave Road he'd landed on exploded with sharp feathers, Cygnus Wing shooting from _below_ the blond. They couldn't pierce his boots but they still upset his balance and, while stumbling in surprise, Ox Fire practically materialized in front of him and landed a solid fire-wreathed punch.

Flames burned away at the bodysuit and the skin below, and Tamotsu screamed even if the pain was muted. He didn't get a chance to adjust to his forced flight and suddenly jerked to a stop, a blue hand digging into his thigh and holding him suspended upside-down.

Cygnus Wing sneered, stolen human face twisted into something monstrous and unnatural, other hand gripping red shoulder arm to keep the teen still, "You still know nothing, human."

"I know thi-!" The retort morphed into strangled choking as Cygnus nearly broke the blond's spine over his knee. Just as suddenly Tamotsu was lying in a crater of his own making, flung to the earth like trash. The weapon he'd tried to summon disappeared, concentration lost as he did his best to remember his own _name_ over the shock.

A familiar grotesquely oversized hand snatched him up like a doll, and oppressive heat became his whole world. Ox Fire flung him back into the ground and a devastating punch landed on the blond before the world stopped trembling. A heavy weight- and armored hoof –pressed down on his chest and pinned him, leaving to do little more than struggle uselessly. Zero shouted a warning, but it was pointless.

Tamotsu saw only a wave of fire crashing towards his face.

The wave-infused fire burned, scorched, and seared away at Tamotsu's defenses, but it did not devour. The spinning Shield Boomerang redirected the deluge away, where the flames charred and even melted the concrete a foot from the blond. The fiery torrent sputtered and stopped, and the sudden absence of heat left Tamotsu cold.

Ice was his blood when Ox Fire drew a fist back and he realized he couldn't move.

Zero was there, a vicious plan in mind once more. A weapon was called and unfurled from his mind, and Tamotsu didn't even hesitate as he thrust up towards the pelvic region. With no armor and his strength, the Z-Saber sliced cleanly through upper muscles near the junction of thigh and hip wetly, and something glowing gold and not-blood spewed free. Something severed and gave, and Ox Fire stumbled back as his leg abruptly gave out under him.

Tamotsu grabbed the hoof pinning him and simply _pushed_ and the great bull toppled over.

It would have been a relief, but freedom was short-lived and Cygnus Wing swept the blond up once more, this time with a hand wrapped around his throat. Tamotsu would've had his neck literally ripped out from the force if he'd been normal, but as he was he didn't even suffer whiplash and was violently struggling before his feet even left the ground. The forced ride was short, Cygnus Wing twisting sharply in the air and throwing him back at Ox Fire at nothing less than terminal velocity.

Tamotsu stopped really following what was happening after that. The fighting became nothing but a blur of action and reaction, of plans and foiled attempts on his life. Every time he managed to pin down one of the two FMs, the other would come to the rescue. Ox Fire didn't do much more than blindly attack him and was mostly predictable, but Cygnus Wing could plan, had the luxury of flight, and was _ruthless_. Deadly feathers threw Tamotsu off balance at critical moments or attempted to skewer him, groping hands would snatch him from the ground and fling him back at the charging bull, and the few times Tamotsu attempted to go directly after the swan FM led to him being batted from the air.

He didn't think things could get worse until he heard a far too young scream.

Cygnus Wing played dirty, so really Tamotsu should have seen it coming when the FM disappeared for a minute. It was only a matter of time until the bad guy took a hostage, after all.

There was a young brunette girl held a hundred feet off the ground by nothing but the spindly fingers of Cygnus Wing's hand wrapped around her head. She wasn't any older than Alouette, _she couldn't be older than seven_ , and she screamed uncontrollably as Cygnus Wing tightened his grip on her skull. He smiled, and Tamotsu couldn't believe what he was seeing.

He was going to crush her head like an overripe fruit.

It was terrible, horrible, something his mind told him was impossible, but he _knew_ the FM could do it. Would do it, and a disgusting vision of it played in his head as he turned and ran. Tamotsu was so shocked he was blind to Ox Fire's approach, was deaf to Zero's screams, and numb to the impact of the fist. All he knew was that he _wasn't running towards her anymore_.

A distraction, she was nothing more than that, Tamotsu realized, world grinding to a halt as he flew away. Something to shock him, terrify him, and break his resolve.

What could he do against that? In all the shows he'd seen the bad guy had always either been incompetent or had incompetent henchmen. The bad guy could be tricked, or was really dumb and left the hostage alone and isolated, or didn't want to actually hurt the hostage. But Cygnus Wing wasn't at all stupid, Ox Fire was too single-minded and strong to be tricked in a way Cygnus Wing couldn't predict, and neither FM cared at all if that girl died horrifically.

What could he do? He had nothing to bargain with when they just wanted him dead! He couldn't bribe them, couldn't risk a trick when the girl was literally in her captor's hands and wasn't overwhelmingly stronger than them!

What could he do?

Tamotsu skidded as he hit the ground, let himself tumble and lie brokenly there for a few moments to buy time to not have to face reality.

Zero spoke to him in that moment, calm and with a spine of steel that terrified Tamotsu, "It is her or the world."

Pitiless.

' _I know that!'_ Tamotsu thought, bile in his throat and feeling ill as he stood shakily to face the _monster_ holding the terrified child. One look and the blond knew he had no real options. Cygnus Wing didn't care if the little girl died and killing her himself wouldn't affect him. But the brutality of the act would shatter the mere teenager he was facing, and they both knew it.

Why?! Everything always looked so easy on TV, there was always an out! But here… "Why do I have to do this!"

Cygnus Wing's voice was mocking, hollow, and so sure of his victory he touched the ground of his own will for the first time, "Because you decided to accept Zero. But you are not, and will never be able to be what you must in order to survive. I almost pity Zero for having such a pathetic partner."

"What you're doing is sick!" Tamotsu spat at the FM, furious and met the girl's eyes. She looked at him, pleading and soft cheeks tear-streaked and all he could see was Alouette, ' _Alouette oh god'_. His stomach rolled, and he refused to imagine her fate, denied it, and sought for an answer. There was always a way to solve things, right? So where was his? "How am I…?"

"You don't. Now, stand still while Ox kills you, or else. I would say you could hand over the Andromeda key, but sadly, War-Rock abandoned you. Now, will you abandon this girl as well, I wonder?"

His hand tightened, and the girls sobbed, "Zero Blade!"

"Tamotsu, don't-!"

"If you don't do as I say…"

"I can't…!"

Several things happened, but only one of them mattered. A mess of voices spoke at once, several words overlapped and indistinguishable, but only one energy shot hit the back of Cygnus Wing's head.

Stunned, the FM didn't react in time as suddenly the girl was ripped free from his hand by…nothing? He snatched at where she'd been taken to, only for his fingers to card through absolutely nothing. Nothing was there, not an attacker or even the girl, and only a few stray strands of her hair remained as proof she'd ever existed.

Ox Fire, too focused to understand what happened, smashed the concrete Tamotsu had been standing on, missing the teenager by inches when he leapt away. What had just happened didn't matter, all that it meant was that the girl wasn't in Cygnus Wing's grasp and that meant Tamotsu could fight back. So, when he dodged the bull, the blond made sure to launch himself directly at Cygnus Wing, sword bared and humming.

The fear and helplessness Tamotsu had felt a moment ago shattered, and the shards reassembled into sharp and deadly anger. He was _furious_ , blood rushing and alight with hot and heady fury. The world narrowed down to him and Cygnus Wing: his enemy, his target, his prey. It was all-consuming, devouring him and invigorating him to new heights, a terribly rage that was nothing short of _fantastic._ Cygnus Wing turned and tried to guard and protect his exposed stomach with his wings. Tried to protect himself when he'd threatened an innocent and ' _how dare he, how dare he, howdarehe-'_ repeated again and again in Tamotsu's head like an obsessive mantra.

' _How dare he defy me! I am-'_

Tamotsu's very existence flickered for a moment, shifted, and his not-green blade tore through the armored wing effortlessly, dug deep into flesh and protruded from Cygnus Wing's back, skewering him clean through.

His only regret was that his blade wasn't turned just a little bit on its side. Then he'd have taken that pathetically flailing arm as a tro-

What?

Tamotsu only realized he'd impaled Cygnus Wing when the FM let out an unholy shriek in his ear.

Tamotsu flinched back, grip on his weapon going slack and he abandoned it entirely. Cygnus Wing stumbled, one wing awkwardly pinned close to his torso, hunched over so much the blond could see the tip of the green blade poking out from his back. When had he…?

The blade shattered without Tamotsu's concentration, and Cygnus Wing flared his freed wing. There was a _hole_ in the FM's abdomen, a wide slit Tamotsu could _see through_ and saw healing before his very eyes. A staticy series of sounds echoed in his ear, and Tamotsu realized Zero was panting, sounding absolutely exhausted. He had no idea why- he didn't even really know what just happened.

Cygnus Wing, despite the still sizable hole in his chest, stood tall and looked over the teen in a new light. His eyes were filled with a new wariness, and begrudging respect well earned, "I see that you have-"

Someone unknown, _new_ , laughed, "Holy _crap_ , you finally actually stabbed him! All the way through too!"

Every single head snapped up to a roof. Even Ox Fire looked, another energy shot hitting the back of his head and sending him crashing to the size moments before he reached Tamotsu and oh, _'When did he get so close?'_ the blond thought, but it was fleeting as he observed the newcomer.

Tamotsu didn't know a whole lot about Wave Changing, but he knew that they strongly resembled the FM life form that made it. So, he was understandably confused when he realized with a single look that _that wasn't War-Rock._

He was a younger child with wild ginger hair that spilled freely from his mask, clad in dark grey and with thick, almost bulky, dark navy armor. Deep red lines crossed his armor and his stomach, highlighting a few sparse gold accents. He looked amused behind the blue visor and twirled a strange gun in one hand almost whimsically, unbothered by the heavy looking black rings around his wrists.

Behind him the girl Cygnus Wing had once held hostage stood, stunned and terrified, but otherwise unharmed.

The newcomer grinned widely, "Hi there. Don't bother with introductions, I already know all your names."

In the center of his chest, where the red lines should have converged, a jagged scar tore deep into his armor.

"Just call me Axl Trigger."

* * *

 **If it wasn't clear enough that things are going to be way different this time, hopefully this is enough of a hint.**


	6. Ferocity

Chapter 6: Ferocity

 **So, I've noticed a few people worried that Subaru won't be the main character, as I've been focusing a bit more on other characters and also that Zero Blade appeared first and seems to be hogging the spotlight. Don't worry, after this point, the story will be more about Subaru, I was just shifting things around early on to better give out information to the audience. This story is still fundamentally about Subaru and his journey, but I also want to make sure everyone else gets better characterization this time around. This means establishing a personality so that the character development is clear.**

* * *

The newly minted "Axl Trigger" flashed a winning smile and a peace sign of all things, and Tamotsu wasn't sure if he was supposed to be relieved or not, "Zero, do you…?"

"No, I have no idea," Zero muttered, clearly uncomfortable being caught flatfooted. Just what was with this planet that attracted so many FMs…? "Furthermore, his chest…" There was a spot for it there in his chest plate, but it had been gouged out.

The newcomer peered down at Tamotsu, "Hmm? Hey, No-Blade!"

" _Excuse you!?_ "

"Aren't you going to go back to stabbing him?" A careless wave of Axl Trigger's wrist sent the nozzle of his gun dangerously pointing every which way without regard for safety, "You looked so cool and ripped through him like it was nothing! Ah, but he's already healing… Too bad for you. Should've finished him off- regenerating enemies always suck."

Tamotsu stared at the dark navy armored boy as if he'd suggested breakdance as a form of battle, "What…? Do you think this is a game or something?"

"Hmm… Oh, the bull's charging."

Tamotsu cursed and performed an elaborate series of dizzying flips to evade Ox Fire's assault while Axl Trigger simply sniggered at his predicament. Cygnus Wing, however, didn't move, warry and once more caught off guard by the sudden appearance of a new FM. Zero had been one thing, everyone had known he'd been exiled long ago so it wasn't impossible, but this one…

"State your name, traitor," Cygnus Wing demanded, slowly rising until his way eye-level and then above the newcomer, superior. The boy was scrawny under all that armor the FM noted dully. Scrawny and tiny, and yet they wore a smirk that was something beyond confident and stared up at Cygnus Wing like the swan was an amusement.

In a too-casual tone that left Cygnus Wing feeling just as wary as he had when Zero had appeared before him, Axl Trigger said, "I'm pretty sure I've followed your naming scheme, so why don't you tell me, hmm?"

Cygnus Wing didn't miss the 'I', and not 'my FM'. Interesting, though it could have easily been that the traitor didn't care much for names. Nevertheless... Cygnus Wing didn't dare look or even so much as acknowledge the wound on his stomach as it healed. He refused to let his enemy know he was still healing, so, "Axl is it? Or would it be Trigger…?"

"No, no, you were right the first time, good for you! Although I guess it wasn't that hard to figure out. Now I have a question for you..." Axl Trigger trailed off, peering up at the swan from under his blue visor with a knowing look. "Just how much energy did it take for you to heal that missing stomach?"

It wasn't a question and Cygnus Wing dove away, a string of unprovoked, unpredictable, shots stinging his sides. He dove into the building Axl Trigger stood on, tearing shards of the window inside with him as he landed and then he brushed away the annoying pieces. The damage he'd taken was negligible but the fact that the boy had shot fast enough to hit was worrying. There'd been no indication, no build up, none of the signs he knew to look for in a human who was seeking to do harm.

Cygnus Wing shook his head and didn't bother to dwell on it. After all, he had the advantage now. His enemy had no choice but to either enter the building and seek him out or wait on the roof, hoping the FM would fly out. But Cygnus Wing had so many more options; maybe he would wait until the boy searched for him and lay in ambush, or possibly fly through the floors and grab his target and render him helpless in the sky or even deep space, or maybe…

The barrel of _what had to be a gun_ pressed against his side from absolutely nowhere, and Cygnus Wing had only enough time to fling himself out of the building to mitigate the resulting shot so it didn't completely tear his side to shreds. The burn was devastating and as Cygnus Wing fled, he turned back to the building and saw _nothing_. Except there actually was, and to his horror, just as white wings unfurled and caught him, Cygnus Wing saw the empty space waver and break into the smirking form of Axl Trigger.

 _Impossible!_

It was impossible because there was only a single FM left of a single family line with that ability and he would never-!

The impossibility smirked, satisfied as he looked over the new wound in Cygnus Wing's side even when it stitched over and healed. "A lot, right? What, did you think I let you heal for no reason?"

"See, it works like this: I hurt you, and you heal. You heal but I still hurt you- I still took away that energy you needed to heal. If I keep hurting you, and you keep healing, well, I guess it'll be 'death by a thousand burns', huh?"

Axl Trigger stepped into the air and _flew_ at Cygnus Wing.

* * *

Subaru shifted nervously, feeling only uncomfortable and a bit self-conscious. He was dizzyingly high up, terrifyingly close to a sheer drop, and he could easily be attacked at any moment; the only reason he hadn't been shot down was simply because no one had the time to notice him. He should have been hysterical, if not bordering on hyperventilation, but an unnatural calm had been forced over his body so he could only really feel awkward in the blue armor he'd suddenly found himself clad in. It unnerved him that an alien has such precise control over his body, but he couldn't even get physically worked up over it and it slid away.

"You don't have to do anything except aim," the alien, and God, that was something Subaru wasn't sure he'd ever get used to, instructed in a way that might have been comforting. Except it was creepy to see one of his own arms talk to him like a particularly scary hand puppet, "Zero will make sure his partner keeps Ox away from you. Whoever this new guy is, he clearly has Cygnus under control."

It was true, because, even if Subaru didn't really know what to think of the newer boy who darted through the sky and gunned Cygnus Wing with precise aim, he trusted Zero Blade. Zero Blade, who he could see baiting and narrowly dodging fierce metal bull three times his size that could take his head off easily. All to drag thin scars on heated red armor and small slashes in the suit that really didn't do much damage. Zero Blade was doing something so reckless and brave and risking so much for such little return, yet he didn't look ready to stop. It was as if the thought hadn't even occurred to him despite what he was doing, despite the danger.

If Subaru could be even a tiny fraction that brave…

The brunet raised his arm, steady even though he felt as if a small tremble should have ensnared him.

"Breathe in."

A useless exercise to the boy as he was now, but War-Rock knew habits were useful and calming. The first step for anything was the hardest, but after that it was all, for better or worse, a downhill struggle. Subaru breathed in, deeply and slowly, and let his hand track his target, and War-Rock took the moment to steel himself. Fighting was easy for him, too easy really, and it'd be just as easy to drag someone so innocent with him. It only took a moment to bind someone's fate to your own, and the forces they were fighting would conspire against Subaru if he ever wished to back out. It wouldn't even be an option, and eventually fighting would become just as easy for Subaru as it was for War-Rock. He'd seen it happen often enough to know it was fact.

Fighting was easy, but War-Rock still found it difficult to take a child's innocence.

"Now!"

Subaru fired.

* * *

Tamotsu ducked, flaming fist burning dangerously close to his head, the crackling fire nearly licking his cheek, but all of it wasn't even a distant thought. No, Tamotsu's real worry in that moment was that he'd missed the fleshy curve of the inner elbow and only dug a gash into Ox Fire's arm- Zero would surely berate him for being so sloppy later. A space of inches might as well have been miles for how worried the blond was about actually getting hit now. Ox Fire, while terrifyingly powerful, was practically mindless and predictable. He punched and kicked and charged and was pretty grabby if Tamotsu stayed too still, but the slim teen could easily slip away with his ever-expanding repertoire of flashy dodges.

Tamotsu was perfectly content backflipping his way to victory, but he didn't at all mind when a well-placed energy shot from above suddenly threw Ox Fire's balance off and left the hulking FM wide open and dazed. Too single-minded and dull to realize that Zero Blade was still a threat, the bull turned towards the sudden attack. Tamotsu pounced without a single doubt and jammed a shortened version of the Z-Saber under the curve of Ox Fire's stronger armor. It was a dangerous game, but the blond leapt away only fractions of a second before the gargantuan hand smashed right where he had been- driving the short green blade even deeper. The bull roared in confusion, scratching at where the deadly weapon was until it abruptly shattered. The unknown sniper shot Ox Fire in the side again and Tamotsu readied to charge towards the bull's exposed back.

A hail of _normal_ gunfire not at all like the sniper's suddenly pelted Ox Fire, with Tamotsu nearly screaming girlishly when a couple of shots struck _him_. Though they bounced off harmlessly, it went against his very nature to just stand there and get shot at, and, for a brief moment, the blond took a moment to re-remember the fact that he was very much bulletproof. Ox Fire, only able to attack, however, was hardly surprised and charged, fist wreathed in unnatural flames on a deadly collision course with the car where whoever had shot him was camping behind.

"Hurry." Was the only thing Zero had to say, and Tamotsu saw why.

It was a very ordinary police officer.

The car the man had hidden behind was hit and practically exploded away, and Tamotsu ran frantically and gathered and forced the waves of his body and pushed _down_. He was suddenly thirty feet ahead between one step and the next, and, disorientated as he was, only had time to process that he was between the cowering police officer and Ox Fire. A wall of red death was coming towards his head, but Tamotsu had grown used to that fact of his life by now, and a sturdy Z-Saber was in-hand on reflex. The fist, thankfully not flaming this time, collided and nearly split on the Z-Saber's sharp edge, one meaty finger sliced in up to the knuckle. Tamotsu himself nearly buckled under the force; ground practically caving under his feet as he pushed against a veritable meteor of raw strength.

The follow-up punch to his side, however, sent him nearly a hundred feet down the street.

The world tilted and the blond flipped upright and skidded back on his feet in a flurry of gold and red. Target in sight, Ox Fire pivoted and locked on to the teen. With a sigh, Tamotsu called forth another Z-Saber, and grumbled, "I'm never saving anyone ever again."

He still kept an eye on the terrified officer until the man stopped shaking enough to slip into an alley and out of the sight. Something that was made quite difficult when Ox Fire rushed him with an angry roar and a right hook that nearly tore his head off, but he managed.

Another powerful shot from above knocked Ox Fire off balance. Tamotsu smirked, and, feeling vicious, drew more thin lines in the bull's body, drawing away at his life.

* * *

A city, with its massive collection of electronic equipment, had an abundance of Wave Roads to use. However, despite their large numbers, the glowing pathways of information and energy tended to cling closer to the buildings, leaving many large gaps of open air peppering the skyline. Here, Cygnus Wing had planned to hover and dart between, avoiding most attacks and providing aerial support from his relative safety with ample time to defend himself. Except, none of that distance mattered against his current opponent.

Oh, what this "Axl Trigger" had wasn't even close to true flight, that much he knew. Simple observation made it clear that the boy could only hover in the air for short times and no real ability to propel himself higher without jumping. Normally, hardly a threat and a rather lackluster ability overall. However, an accurate, if slightly weak, ranged weapon coupled with the ability to change direction midair, made the boy a slippery target to hit and even trickier to dodge.

It had been a flurry of exchanged fire between the two high in the skies, with an unstated rule that the first to fall would surely be the first to die. Cygnus Wing had chased the boy into the upper offices of several of the buildings, tearing apart the floor and walls to try and get his hands around the boy's throat. There might have been humans around him, screaming and running mindlessly, but he hardly cared and flung himself forward with fervor. The invisibility was a problem only if he lost sight of the boy, only if he let him hide and circle around. Close-quarters combat was clearly Axl Trigger's weakness, but the annoying thick armor provided enough protection against the razor-lined wings that sliced at him.

The style of the child was sloppy, relying purely on range with no thought for melee. Once he closed his hands around the brat's scrawny neck, there wouldn't be a thing that could be done. Strangulation wasn't the most effective way of killing a Wave Changer since breathing was optional, but necks could still be broken with the same effect. Technically healable, but Cygnus Wing wouldn't be fool enough to give such a chance.

They burst out of the side of the building in a spray of glass, ginger-haired boy fleeing his hunter with a laugh. A few shots covered the sky and forced Cygnus Wing into a steep dive or suffer several burns to his face. One hand was lightly burned, protective bodysuit a melted mess and annoyingly stinging. Cygnus Wing flicked the hand out and the old suit flaked and shed away to expose a flawless new layer. Unamused, he looked up and spotted his target instantly. Axl Trigger, standing on a pathway of light, grinned and said something, words swallowed by the sheer distance between them. A flash and a flat card was in his hand and touching the side of his gun. It shattered violently, pieces lightly dusting his weapon.

Cygnus Wing took note of the strange phenomenon, but put it out of his mind when the ginger-haired boy's frequency shifted and he plummeted through the Wave Road. Seeing the vulnerable freefall, Cygnus Wing dove at the boy, not wavering even when the barrel of the boy's gun locked onto him. The shots, while annoying, were weak overall and he'd gladly take one or two if it meant finally catching the slippery trickster. Axl Trigger fired, and the shot moved fast, too fast, sparking with energy as Cygnus Wing's body seized up from the electricity from the instant it struck him. Literally stunned, the FM could do nothing but follow his momentum, into waiting arms that hooked around his waist and drug both of them out of the sky. Plummeting down, Cygnus Wing fought for control over his limbs, shook off the tingling numbness, and a moment before he hit the ground, shoved the leech off himself.

The FM's landing was graceless and a tumbling mess of white and blue. He hadn't been standing for more than half a moment before a powerful energy blast collided with his head and sent him stumbling. The clumsy movement turned into a snap-second whirl around, lips drawn back in a snarl at a hidden foe. Except suddenly he was assaulted from behind again, and without thought, the white FM sent a hail of feathers behind him. A yelp and the cloaking dropped, revealing the mysterious newcomer. But if he was in front of him, then…?

There, perched high above on a roof was a blue figure– yet another human. Sharp wings flared with dangerous irritation when Cygnus Wing easily avoided the next energy blast directed at him, letting it tear apart the ground and rip a long gash into the concrete before he took to the air once more. A troublesome bother like the other foolish humans that had been roped into a vain resistance and Cygnus Wing would pluck that defiant fool from his assumed safety and rip him to shreds-!

A weight yanked him from the sky and the annoyance given form and body pulled him down. They crashed, tumbled, the separated, Axl Trigger shoving Cygnus Wing away when the white and blue FM nearly beheaded him with his wings. Except the ginger-haired boy looked only mildly annoyed and even waved pleasantly a second before a wall of noise and heat impacted against him. Tamotsu jumped straight over the swan FM, letting the bull who'd been hot on his heels crash straight into Cygnus Wing.

For the second time in just as many minutes, Cygnus Wing was forced to wrestle a half-mad Ox Fire off him, but not before one of his wings were crushed, "It is _me_ , you fool!"

The declaration had the desired effect; Ox Fire finally recognized his superior through his Overdrive haze. However, momentum lost, the fight drained from him and the great red bull sagged, panting as his Overdrive threatened to bleed out of him entirely. Cygnus Wing had gone stiff at the sight of the flickering power and, with a single sweep over the battlefield at his still-fresh enemies, made the only reasonable move.

"Harp!"

"There's anoth-!?"

The question cut off as the world itself seemed to _scream_. Glass shattered with a great crack but the sound was swallowed by the all-consuming white noise. Tamotsu stumbled, hands clawing in vain at the metal over his ears and shouting angrily at Zero to do _something_. He wasn't sure if the FM could even hear him since he couldn't even hear himself shouting at the top of his lungs in anger at the sounds that threatened to split his skull. The noise suddenly wavered and ground to an abrupt halt, leaving nothing but the faint ringing in his ears.

Cygnus Wing and Ox Fire were long gone, probably halfway around the world already, along with, oddly enough, Axl Trigger, whom was now nothing more than a distant light Tamotsu wasn't even going to try and catch. At those speeds even a couple seconds difference meant there was no way he'd ever catch up, and the teen decided to exercise the vocabulary he'd steadily picked up from his peers, stalking angrily around the wrecked street. The entire area would have to be cut off for several weeks _at least_ , assuming there wasn't something structurally wrong with the buildings they'd be knocked around in. The Skyway overhead was in terrible condition from a few stray shots Axl Trigger had made, and oh _god_ , suddenly the blond was seriously hoping that idiot hadn't accidentally shot anyone. Heck, it'd be a small miracle if no one had been randomly _killed_ just by bad luck, or-

"Oh shit, the kid!"

It was probably a good thing that in all the chaos and madness that was _suddenly his life_ , Tamotsu had completely forgotten about the little girl Cygnus Wing had tried to use as a hostage. If he'd forgotten, then it was a safe bet that no one else remembered, which meant she'd be, ironically, safe. And a quick leap up to the roof showed that yes, the brunette girl was still there. Terrified, yes, curled in a small ball and probably not crying only because she was out of tears, yes, but alive.

She was so _tiny_ , Tamotsu thought, and it was a punch to the gut when she sobbed at the sight of him and tried to back away further into her corner. Kidnapped and hurt and used as a tool by someone too powerful for her, it was no wonder she was afraid of everyone.

"Hey, hey! No more of that, no more crying, ok? The bad guy is gone."

She shook her head violently, curling in on herself, "He'll come back! He'll take me away again!"

Tamotsu had a brief vision of the girl being ripped from the ground without warning and breathed deeply to contain himself from lashing out. Instead, he confidently made his way to the girl's side, ignoring her flinch and leaning down until he was at her level. He took the hand scratching furiously at her head (where Cygnus Wing held her like a sick _trophy_ ) before she could hurt herself and held it firmly, "He can't take you if I'm holding onto you, you know. I won't even let him get close enough to try, so don't worry? The monster's not nearly as strong as I am, just like how your parents are so much stronger than the monsters in your closet."

"There's no monsters there, just my clothes…" She actually seemed a bit indignant that he thought she believed in something so _childish_ , and Tamotsu nearly laughed.

"Then there's no monster out here, just some ugly duckling that didn't get enough hugs as a kid." Or something. Either way, he _was_ skewering Cygnus Wing (again) next chance he got. Screw that guy. "If he does come back, well, I'll take care of him. You don't have to worry about anything anymore ok? Come on, it's cold up here, right? Let's get back downstairs and get you back to your parents."

"My bag…" The girl glanced hopelessly to the edge of the building.

"All the more reason to head down;. I'll help you find it, alright?" She reaches for him with grasping hands and with a well-practiced sweep of his arms she's held securely to his chest, a nonexistent weight clinging to his neck. "So, what's your name?"

"Airi."

"Well Airi," Tamotsu said, casually kicking open the locked roof access door and thumbing away one of her tears, "can you tell me where you think your bag is?"

Normally he would have jumped off the ledge instead of taking something as mundane as _stairs_ , but he had a feeling Airi would be less than thrilled. Not when she was still shaking in his arms and jerking with every bump of a step.

It was going to be a long way down.

* * *

On a roof some distance away, a girl stiffly stood.

"Well…that was unexpected."

The human she was fused with didn't say anything in response, but that was to be expected after all. Things were quickly getting out of hand here. War-Rock was easy to account for, easy to plan around with how simple he was, but this new third party? No, Harp wasn't sure what she could do anymore after this plan had failed so spectacularly.

Best to leave before she was found.

* * *

 **Here's how changing states will work in this story: it operates on a sliding scale and not like a switch. An EM human can partially change their state from waves to matter. They cannot hit a perfect balance, but they can come close enough and it makes for some interesting effects. The most noticeable would be being visible while also being intangible to physical things, and vice-versa. Mostly it's for ascetic things, searching, and for showing off, since attacks that are sufficiently charged with waves can't be phased through anyway (Solo's arm is the exception, not the rule). This is why they don't drop through the crust of the world, but could potentially dip in and out of subways and tunnels as needed.**

 **A frequency change can be extended to a person that an EM human is in contact with, as seen in this chapter. However, it is difficult to do, much less maintain, without killing the other human through what amounts to a fatal surge or them being half physical matter when trying to go through a wall or something. This means that only voluntary EM changes can pull this off without a massive amount of effort, since the EM life form can concentrate on the task while their human physically moves. Non-living things are fair game though.**

 **So something vaguely realistic, with actual, defined, limitations I'll be working both with and around.**

 **Overdrives are also on a sliding scale. Some are stronger than others, and some make the user lose control more than others. These are almost always directly proportional to each other. Ox's is only slightly above average in terms of strength, but has overall low control loss, whereas later on Wolf's will be extremely powerful but has very high control loss.**


	7. Settling Dust

Chapter 7: Settling Dust

* * *

Subaru wasn't sure what he'd expected when he'd made the probably really dumb decision to agree to partner with an alien and become the second (third?) real-life superhero of the city. When the fighting abruptly stopped with a terrible sound that still scratched at his ears even now, the brunet had expected things would move pretty quick from there. Obviously, Zero Blade would want to talk to him, take him under his wing and teach him the ropes and explain everything to him. At least, Subaru hoped he'd get a better explanation than War-Rock's "People are in danger, go help", or else he'd probably lose his mind.

He hadn't expected for Zero Blade to ignore him and take off in a completely different direction. And then just disappear across the street.

A good ten minutes had passed since then, and Subaru wasn't sure what he was supposed to be doing. Was something big going on that roof he'd seen Zero Blade jump to? But there wasn't a big commotion, so maybe he was going up there for other hero reasons Subaru didn't get? Should he go and help, or would he just get in the way? And what if there really was a fight he just couldn't see going on, what if he got caught up in that?

Whatever War-Rock had been doing to keep him calm must have worn off, because Subaru could feel his anxiety slowly creeping out from the pits of his stomach to crawl up and sit heavy in his throat. He tried to swallow it, but his mouth was too dry. Just what was he doing here?

"War-Rock… right?" Subaru said slowly, not sure what he was supposed to do.

Apparently War-Rock did. "Look, I know you've got a lot of questions kid, but it'd be best to wait when Zero's there to help me explain this mess. I'm not good with words, ok?"

Obviously, "Can you at least tell me if you were telling the truth back there? About the world getting…?"

"Blown up? Sucks, but yeah," War-Rock grumbled, and Subaru nearly screamed as he felt his arm move by itself again. He was going to have to get used to that… And talk to War-Rock about the limits of human flexibility as the alien awkwardly pulled his arm to try and face him better. "The short answer is that our former king's an utter idiot and, uh, jumped the gun as you'd say, and decided to destroy you humans for no reason. Don't know why, don't really care why, I just thought it was a load of crap so I decided to try and stop it. It turns out I wasn't the only one."

Subaru still didn't know what to think about… all of that, even after hearing it a second time. It was wild, an impossibly fictional thought, and yet here he was, living it. With part of it attached to him like a particularly terrifying hand puppet. War-Rock just continued to grumble to him(?)self, looking more annoyed than worried.

Finally, he had enough, and, while yanking Subaru along, said, "What the heck's taking Zero? Come on!"

Subaru let himself be pulled along until he realized War-Rock was going to tug him right off the edge of the roof. "W-wait! I can't just jump!"

"You jumped up here, right? So same thing, but in reverse. And even less effort since gravity will do all the work. Just don't fall on your face."

"No, it's not the same!"

"You'll be fine, you can take it! You've seen Zero Blade do it, and I'm tougher than him!" Subaru looked wholly unconvinced and War-Rock said something in his weird-static voice that was probably pretty rude. "Look, you'll barely even feel it; you're a lot tougher now and a little fall isn't going to hurt you one bit."

"O… Ok." Subaru relented, if only because he wasn't going to get out of this. At least he could have some control if he went along with it. Besides, the alien was right about Zero Blade, and if he was the same now, then he should be fine, right? But what if he was wrong…?

"Look, if it helps, just pretend you're taking a big step and let yourself fall, alright?" War-Rock seemed to think for a second as Subaru readied himself, "Don't do anything stupid like closing your eyes, though. You still want to land on your feet."

Subaru nodded and, before he could overthink what he was doing, stepped forward and into the air. He couldn't stop the little yelp as he plummeted down, down, down to the unforgiving concrete below, but managed to, likely with help, stay calm. Forced calm or not, he still felt his heart lodge itself in his throat when he saw the ground, dangerously close, and, against War-Rocks orders, closed his eyes and braced for the feeling of his legs shattering. He'd only ever cracked his arm before; he couldn't imagine how much both his legs would hurt, and-

"What part of 'don't close your eyes' do you not get? I can't believe you managed to land blind and not fall on your face like I warned!"

-and he was already on the ground. It'd barely felt like he'd taken more than, well, a step forward. Nothing hurt, nothing even ached, and his legs hadn't become a jigsaw puzzle of bone.

War-Rocks voice was dry and frustrated, "Your faith in me is utterly flattering. Really. No need to trust me so much."

"I jumped, didn't I?"

"And you look amazed you're still alive. I can't believe you would jump off a building if you didn't trust me."

"I did trust what you said!" About Zero Blade at least, and mostly because Subaru had seen it himself. And, "It's just, trying to jump…" Went against every survival instinct he had, and he couldn't help but imagine himself dying when plummeting through the sky, "It's just…"

The brunet boy trailed off, unable to scrape together the words he needed to express himself. How could he make an alien understand his very human worries about things like gravity?

"Whatever. Let's go."

Subaru simply realized he couldn't do that, so he ignored the bitter feeling and walked on. Or at least tried to, until he heard someone shouting.  
"Hey, hey you! Yes, you in the blue!"

Subaru turned, blinking at the sight of a man in a trench coat walked storming over to him. Well, he looked like he was in a storming mood, except he was limping just a little bit.

War-Rock wasn't pleased, "Not this idiot…"

"You know him?"

"He tried to arrest Zero Blade. For some stupid made-up reason, since it's not like we've done anything wrong."

* * *

Goyoda was less than surprised when he'd seen what had to be at least the third kid in spandex walking around. The fifth of these new superhumans overall, since he was personally counting the two more animal-like ones as at least being vaguely in the same category as Zero Blade until proven otherwise. What he wasn't expected was how young this one was. Even counting the kid's gravity-defying hair, he didn't come up to Goyoda's chest… God, how old was this one? Zero Blade was very clearly in the throes of puberty and all the sass and need to prove oneself that came with it, probably fourteen or fifteen even if he looked a little older. But the blue-clad boy before him was a grade-schooler at best. How old was this kid? Ten? Eleven?

Goyoda knew he wasn't the smartest man out there, far from it, but he'd had plenty of experience on the field and knew exactly what had almost happened here. A setup, plain and simple, where Zero Blade was ambushed and then overpowered by numbers, raw strength, even hostages, whatever it took to pin the blond. The crazy conspiracy part of himself was screaming that the entire train accident was a setup to lure him into position, though he pushed away the thought until he had actual proof. Even if it was a crazy coincidence, it made the idea of such a young boy getting anyway involved with this new mess even more horrifying. These people were ruthless and cunning and weren't going to hold back just because they were facing kids. Heck, even Zero Blade had no business messing with…whoever those two had been, because Goyoda knew what he'd almost seen here.

A murder.

He didn't want to know what would have happened if that other kid hadn't shown up when he had and rescued the hostage. Because if he hadn't, Goyoda knew there'd have been at least one child going home in a body bag.

And now some kid probably not even out of elementary school wanted to go against people who'd do that?

The detective had thought he was just imagining things when he'd seen the hand puppet on the kid's hand actually look at him, but quickly realized it was alive when it nearly snapped off his fingers as he reached for the boy.

"Back off." It growled. Actually growled, and he knew that deep voice wasn't coming from a prepubescent kid with a knack for ventriloquism.

"What are you doing, you can't just try and bite people!" The brunet hissed, doing his best to physically blocked the creatures from attacking again.

The strange creature scoffed but didn't make another move. For now. "He's here to arrest you, which he can't do anyway. You haven't done anything."

"Actually," Goyoda coughed, trying to regain control over his racing heart, "I'm not going to let some kid get wrapped in whatever this mess is."

Once more, the creature that resided as the boy's left hand growled, seeming to curse his luck. It seemed to grow more increasingly annoyed by Goyoda's words, perhaps it seemed to be able to comprehend what the detective was saying. "Like you get any say in what he gets to do! You don't even know what's happening, you stupid human!""Human", and said like the… creature attached to the boy's arm didn't even consider itself even symbolically close to one. Not that the detective had ever thought it was. "I don't care what you are, you can't just drag some kid into this mess! I may not know exactly what sort of new-age gang war this is, but I do know that birdman and human-bulldozer were trying to kill-"

"Shut up! Do you think I really wanted-"

A sliding door slammed open and Zero Blade strutted out with a small girl in his arms who did her best to hide, "Oh hey, the new kid is already harassing the police. I'm so proud."

* * *

Subaru floundered. He didn't want Zero Blade to see him like this when he wasn't ready! "I'm not-"

The detective angrily shoved past Subaru, eyes locked on the obviously scared girl, "You! What do you think you're doing, drag-"

"Looking for a school bag, actually. It's mostly pink, with white polka dots." The girl in Zero Blade's arms looked up just enough to whisper something him, "Oh, and there's a… keychain clipped onto one of the zippers. Wait, make that three, I guess someone is starting a collection…"

The sight stopped the detective short, because it was ridiculously normal, and was that a hint of fondness he heard? "… What are you doing?"

"Your job."

"My job? What are you-"

War-Rock snapped rather quickly, "This isn't important!"

The red knight didn't miss a beat, "It is to her."

"Who cares?! We've got-"

"Hey!" The blond snapped, sounding sharp and even a bit dangerous, "Watch what you say."

War-Rock recoiled as if struck and Subaru did his best to not get dragged around like an afterthought for once, "Who do you think you are, talking to-?"

"Forget it." A new voice, deeper and commanding, suddenly intruded. Except there was no one but Zero Blade, who clearly wasn't the one talking, "It'll be easier to let him do what he wants."

War-Rock grumbled, but seemed cowed all the same, "Pah, look at you, letting yourself get bossed around by some human brat."

"You'd do best to remember that we're reliant on these 'human brats'."

The new voice that Subaru was fairly sure was coming from Zero Blade still sounded almost completely deadpan even when his words seemed like they were annoyed. Emotionless and practically robotic, and if it weren't for the completely natural inflection he would have thought it exactly that. Quite honestly, it creeped Subaru out, and the brunet was glad when Zero Blade walked away without another word, taking the weird voice with him. He didn't notice the detective jump and look around in confusion, but he did notice War-Rock repeatedly pulling his arm to follow, "Come on, kid. The sooner we get this crap done, the sooner I can explain things to you."

"All…Alright…"

Or maybe not, since the detective snapped out of whatever had freaked him out and started shouting, indignant, "Wait! What part of 'I can't let you drag a kid into this mess' do you not understand? I'm not going to let you take some grade-schooler off to wherever!"

The FM growled, "The kid can do whatever he wants. And he already agreed to help me, so piss off!"

"I…I have to do this, sir. If what he said is right," And here Subaru vaguely gestured to War-Rock, "then I have to help."

"No, no you don't." "the detective countered, and, seeming to perhaps see Subaru's own hesitation, began to elaborate, "Look, let's say that there's actually something really big going on. Why can't your… alien?" A somewhat hesitant nod, "Alien, right, ask the government for help? Or at least an adult."

There was a scoff and War-Rock looked disgusted, "Humans like you don't understand a thing! I can't just pick whoever I want, so this kid right here is my partner. And together we're, uh… Rockman, so it's too late to back down. We've made a deal, we've got a name, so it's all already finished."

The newly minted Rockman blinked, wavered, and disappeared from the detective's sight just as Zero Blade had.

He knew it was useless to try and follow, so the detective let his hands drop and sighed in defeat. His injuries flared angrily, and so the detective slowly limped back to his squad, troubled by all he'd heard.

* * *

It might have taken some time, but Zero Blade kept his word and they eventually found the girl's backpack.

It was an awkward affair, with Subaru feeling more and more like an afterthought the longer they trudged through the streets. He hung back, both feeling nervous and to prevent another fight from breaking out, but there was a nagging thought in the back of his mind that he would have been ignored either way. Zero Blade was chatting away with the little girl about, well, Subaru wasn't sure, but it must have had something to do with his hair. She was doing her best to braid some of it, but the strands kept slipping through her fingers like water.

Even after they'd found the backpack, abandoned on the side of the road but no worse for the wear, it hadn't ended; Zero Blade insisted on walking all the way back. Back through the alleyway, back to the gathered police, making sure the recently arrived paramedics saw her. He refused to say exactly what they should look for besides "head trauma" and practically dragged Subaru away from the curious bystanders.

Standing fearlessly on what Subaru would later learn were called 'Wave Roads', Zero Blade finally seemed satisfied with himself, "Ok, now that that's over…" What, the part where the supposed hero ignored him, or the part where he dragged Subaru around like a doll? "…we should go back to my house. It'll be a lot more comfortable and Zero and I will explain everything."

War-Rock grumbled, "And what, do I just not matter anymore?"

"And the hand puppet will add his oh-so-witty two-cents whenever he feels like it."

"Hey, I only had a few seconds to try and figure-"

"Um, excuse me?" Subaru managed to interrupt, glad when the two stopped arguing to look at him. He really wasn't sure he could have talked over them if they got any louder, "Zero Blade? Isn't that your name?"

"Nope, I'm just borrowing it. Kind of like how you're borrowing the 'Rock' in War-Rock's name. Which, by the way, Rockman isn't a very good name." The blond explained, though the last bit was clearly directed at War-Rock with a shaming finger-wag, "What's your real name, kid?"

"Um, Subaru-"

War-Rock was seething, "What, and pick one that makes no sense like your name? You have practically an unlimited number of blades!"

"It's called an oxymoron." The word was stretched out obnoxiously; as if the alien were particularly slow, "Not that you'd understand."

"Whatever. And what's wrong with the name I picked, huh? Isn't it a human tradition to stick 'man' after a random noun or adjective and call that a superhero name? If anything, you should have stuck to that, Zeroman."

"Ew. But Rockman? Really?"

"Hey, it's not like 'Warman' sounds very friendly, and that's the opposite of what we want!"

"Still dumb. And I didn't know you cared about public-"

"If you two are done bickering," The commanding but dead voice spoke, effortlessly cutting through their words and silencing everyone. "We should proceed back as planned."  
The sudden absence of conversation, even if had been arguing, was jarring and awkward. But the will to continue had clearly been drained from both War-Rock and Zero Blade completely. The FM scoffed but didn't attempt to continue, and the teenage awkwardly looked around for a moment before sighing.

"Yeah, yeah. Oh, that was Zero by the way. He's in my headset or something." A beat where the teen seemed to realize something. "You've never traveled on the Wave Roads, right? Well, just let War-Rock do all the work. And don't struggle. There's not exactly any guard rails up here, so you _will_ fall."

Subaru, already being led away by a firm hand on his shoulder, only had time to ask one thing:

"What?"

* * *

Once again, Subaru was being ignored. Ignored after the most terrifying two minutes of his life, zipping at apparently slow speeds on the Wave Roads, his body thrown left and right on hairpin turns hundreds of feet above the streets. Then they'd stopped approximately ten minutes away from Tamotsu's home (as the teen had offhandedly introduced himself as) and had barely said a dozen words as Subaru struggled to keep up with the teen's fast pace.

When they had finally arrived, Tamotsu has immediately left Subaru stranded at the door and gotten food. It would have been fine if he simply wanted a snack, but no, instead he'd prepared an elaborate sandwich that he was incredibly particular about. The turkey had to be heated up, there had to be the exact amount of sauce- not too much, not too little- and the seasoning had to be perfect.

Subaru wanted to scream, giving Tamotsu a dirty look as he ate maddeningly slow.

Feeling the heated glare, the blond swallowed and shrugged, "I'm a teenager, I eat a lot. You'll understand one day."

"That isn't the problem here." It came out with a lot more heat than intended, but Subaru couldn't even feel a bit sorry.

"Whoa, what's your problem? Look, if you're hungry, you can help yourself. We just went to the store, so-"

"You just keep ignoring me, and you're-"

"It is actually very important that he listen to his bodily demands and eat as much as he feels he needs to." The voice, Zero, spoke up once more, this time from Tamotsu's Transer, effortlessly cutting off the budding argument, "Before we were ambushed we had been training for several hours without a chance to eat since this morning."  
"Yeah, I'm about to starve!" Tamotsu agreed with glee, before digging into his food once more, "Listen to our alien overlords, or whatever."

Subaru frowned, mostly at the lack of manners as the blond spoke shamelessly around a mouthful of food, but relented. It wasn't worth it, not when he was just going to be dismissed time and time again. Besides, "Alright, but I want to know what's going on!"

War-Rock's voice suddenly resounded from Subaru's Transer, "Our crazy king wants to blow up your backwater rock, but you already knew that." And that was it.  
Seeing that, for some reason, War-Rock didn't feel the need to go into detail, Zero picked up where his fellow FM had left off, "Your species, by pure accident and even worse luck, located our home world, Planet FM. Cepheus, the current king, is known for his paranoia and ruthlessness and decided to destroy your world with a powerful machine known as Andromeda. Which is fully capable of doing such a thing, as it was used to destroy our sister planet, AM, some time ago."

How anyone could so calmly say something so… horrifying was beyond Subaru. It made sense why War-Rock didn't want to talk about it, but Zero was just so… emotionless it was scary. As if it all meant nothing to him, and the coldness was shocking to see.

Seeing the boy's downcast expression, War-Rock spoke up with forced cheer, "Hey, don't look at us like that, it's not all bad! I didn't agree with what was going to happen, so I made sure to get on the strike team and stole the key to control Andromeda. Zero here has been a declared traitor before I was even alive, so he's willing to help us do whatever it takes to get his own bit of revenge."

"Correct." Zero confirmed, and Subaru realized he'd have to quickly get used to disembodied voices talking to him, "Furthermore, we have several advantages. The distance from your planet to ours makes it difficult to send troops, and War-Rock has assured me that Cygnus'- the flying one we fought today -pride will prevent him from asking for immediate backup. All we have to do is defend, and our Wave Changes will be fundamentally stronger than theirs."

"Wave Change…That's what I did with War-Rock, right?" Subaru recalled slowly, remembering the raw rush of sensation and the sheer power he'd suddenly held. They were powerful, Tamotsu, as much as Subaru was growing to dislike him, proved that, but something was nagging him. 'Our Wave Changes?' That made it sound like… "But why are we- no wait! If we were Wave Changed, doesn't that mean that the people you all were fighting today were also Wave Changed? Why would anyone agree to help if they just want to blow up the world!"

Tamotsu nearly choked on his food, "Whoa, whoa, wait what? I was fighting a person today?"

"Not really."

"In a sense."

The two FMs denied simultaneously in what Subaru knew had to be rare agreement.

The blond wasn't too shocked to not be annoyed by a vague answer, "Uh, please explain?"

Surprisingly, it was War-Rock who began, "Well, to put it simply, Zero and I didn't have to get your permission to Wave Change with you two, but it makes things a lot easier in the long run. There are two types of Wave Changes actually: the one where we ask nicely, and then the one Cygnus used and basically body-snatched a human."  
"The two forms can be broadly classified as either a partnership or a possession." Zero continued, "Partnerships are always stronger, as the FM life form and the human work together, splitting the burden of fighting between them. The FM usually controls all frequency changes, pain suppression, and regulating stress responses to limit panic so the human can focus entirely on moving and fighting. Possessions have a greater short-term benefit, as there would be no need to teach a human how to fight, but they place the entire burden on the FM. Furthermore, they have to spend some effort in suppressing a human's natural resistance, which, if a human were to have a strong enough will, could theoretically destabilize the Wave Change and place both parties in immense danger."

"Danger?"

"Certain death of both if the FM life form cannot regain control and also refuses to release the merge. And before you ask, there are many complications that can occur if a merge is released while there is this sort of corruption. Normally once a Wave Form has been established, it is impossible to safely change its type, but the rapid fluctuations and the human's will encroaching onto the FM's own can force the change."

That was a lot to really digest, but Subaru didn't care about the complexities. Instead, "But why me?"

"Why did War-Rock choose you is simple: you are by far the most compatible with him in this entire city."

"Compatible?"

The FM in question spoke up, "Finding a compatible person is usually pretty hard, but your city seems to be infested with them. Heck, humans, in general, have a freakishly high affinity for Wave Changing when compared to the other species we've interacted. It made things for Zero and I convenient, but that means it'll be just as easy for our enemies."

"It'll be hard to root them out- someone who's possessed shouldn't remember anything if it's done correctly. If an FM is skilled enough, they could even influence their host's behavior, which means we have to be careful." Zero paused, "Anyone could be our enemy now. No matter what, no one can know you are working with War-Rock and I. They are willing to destroy your entire species, do not think they won't go after those you love."

Tamotsu frowned, the sudden tension nearly choking him with thoughts he didn't wish to even consider. Instead, he pushed boldly ahead, "So, this is a bit random, but I have to know. What do you make of this 'Axl Trigger' who's just shown up out of nowhere? Cygnus Wing sure as heck wasn't expecting him, and I think he's on our side. But I still gotta know. Zero, do you have any exile-buddies you haven't been telling us about?"

"I have absolutely no idea who he is. His lack of family crest makes any attempts to identify him impossible."

"What's that?"

"A family crest is a form of identifying an FM's heritage. It is not unlike a human's last name, but with the permanence of your fingerprints. They may be slightly altered to an FM's personal taste with aspects such as color and exact shape, but otherwise are kept mostly the same. Even a first-generation such as War-Rock has created his own family crest. Traitors rarely rid themselves of their crest- I still bear mine."

"So, a complete wildcard, huh?" Tamotsu mused but decided it wasn't something worth thinking about currently, "Well, not much we can do unless we happen to run into him.

Hey, uh, sorry, what's your name again? Subaro? Subaru? I didn't hear the last part before your killer hand puppet started shouting at me."

"Hey!"

"Subaru." The boy in question answered, slightly taken aback that such a disrespectful person had actually bothered to learn his name.

"Right, Subaru. Alright, well, give me your Transer number so we can stay in contact. If you ever get into a fight or think you've found someone who's possessed, don't hesitate to call me, ok? I'm frontline, you're backline, and together we'll overwhelm them, got it? No lone wolf crap, just call your new big brother for help, k?"

Subaru ignored Tamotsu's rambling, "You're not my big brother or anything weird like that… So we're going to try and find out who's possessed? How?"

"I have no idea, but you never know when you'll get lucky, right? Or unlucky and get attacked."

Zero spoke, "It is possible to sense nearby FMs who are not masking their presence with your technology. However, it is likely we will have to wait until our enemies make their move before we can act. Until then, you will begin training."

"Training?" Subaru frowned.

"A Wave Form's strength is based on a human's strength and increases your physical aspects exponentially," Zero explained.

"Basically," War-Rock began at Subaru's confused look, "if you can lift twenty pounds, in your Wave Form you can lift two thousand. If you can lift thirty, then that's three thousand. Those aren't the exact numbers, but whatever, you get the idea. Even doing just a little will have major effects, especially since I've always been good at sheer brute strength. But, uh, you can focus on Battle Cards if you want to, since you don't want to be a front-line fighter."

Tamotsu perked up, "Oh, so you actually figured that out? You and Zero weren't really sure how you were going to make the cards usable, or whatever."

"I didn't have much time to think about it, so I just went with the first thing that came to mind and consumed them directly."

The blond laughed, "Consume? Like, you eat them? Seriously!? That's why you've turned into a glorified hand puppet? Ha!"

"It worked, didn't it?!"

"Just keep telling yourself it was worth it."

"Well, it will be once you give your Battle Cards to Subaru! The kid barely has any, so there wasn't much we could do back there."

Tamotsu whirling on Subaru, who had been doing his best to stay out of the conversation, and looked at him with disbelief, "You don't collect Battle Cards? What kind of kid are you?"

"They just seem pretty useless to me, some basic antivirus software does the same thing, and I don't own… Uh, what are you doing?"

Tamotsu made a vague gesture and trotted up the stairs. Distantly, Subaru could hear things being moved around upstairs. He looked around the house awkwardly, trying to busy himself as the sound of something heavy falling shook the house and he winced at the swears. A minute later, Tamotsu could be heard coming back down the steps.  
"Excuses, excuses, I won't hear any of it! Here."

Tamotsu dropped the thick binder on the table with an ominous thud.

"Take your pick."

"This… this is a lot of Battle Cards." It was hundreds, all neatly organized into a custom binder. A quick flip through and Subaru realized that they were organized alphabetically and then further by rarity.

Tamotsu just looked proud of himself, ignoring the odd look Subaru was giving him, "I know right? It took a while to organize them too, you know. But that'll make it easier for you to find what you want."

* * *

High above the Earth, thousands of satellites crisscrossed over the planet's atmosphere, skimming the very edge of the abyss and connecting the planet with tens of thousands of invisible ties. An ever-increasing number of these machines had been retired to graveyard orbit, so many that there had been plenty of talks of salvaging operations before issues could arise. But it was still too impractical and expensive, and so the net of junk debris grew larger and larger, the issue pushed farther and farther down the line.

Cygnus Wing found such lazy behavior to be disgusting, but he could hardly complain when it worked so well in his favor. There were literally thousands of abandoned satellites he could use as a base, with just as many active ones below him. If the humans wished to surround themselves with kinetic bombardment ammo, he wouldn't be the one to correct their poor choices. Yes, he would likely play that hand someday with how… troublesome this mission was being.

As if to prove Cygnus Wing's thoughts, Ox, free from his human shell, groaned and shifted restlessly. His normally vibrant marigold energy had dimmed to a burnt orange, and the FM life form struggled to not let his body physically shrink to preserve his strength out of a stubborn pride. Harp, a deceptively small FM covered almost entirely in blue armor that let only wisps of rose-tinted energy escape, tended to the comparatively massive Ox. It was a simple task for her to poke and prod his energy into following her lead and push away the aftereffects of his Overdrive, but there was still only so much she could do.

Harp pulled away, her work done, "Ox will need a day or two of rest before it is safe for me to force another Overdrive. His human will probably need more than that, though." She looked over to Cygnus Wing tall and distinctly human form, "How is your human recovering?"

"Well enough, considering he would have died normally from that attack." Cygnus Wing said clinically, brushing his tender abdomen lightly. "It would seem Zero's Overdrive is just as powerful as we feared."

"Just what grade was the armor on your wings again?" Harp hummed in thought.

"Less than yours and Ox's, but I would advise against assuming that will protect you."

"Of course. But what should we do? Will I have to fight as well? My bond with my human is tedious at best."

Cygnus Wing shook his head, "No, continue to avoid any fights. If you are injured or killed then we're stranded with no easy backup. If even a fifth of the stories about Zero are correct, then I have no doubt he'll target you first."

"Well it only makes sense to target the enemy's communications, but Zero will get a nasty surprise if he thinks I'm useless like other Wavecasters. But I'm sure Rocky will tell him just how tough I am."

"If he touches you, I'll kill him," Ox grumbled, but his obvious exhaustion drained most of the bite from his threat.

"I'm sure you will."

The silence was long before Cygnus Wing finally brought up their final opponent, "Harp. I will have to admit I have no idea who Axl Trigger could be. He should be easy to identify since exiles aren't very common, and yet his abilities only confuse me more."

"What sort of abilities do you mean?"

"He has true invisibility."

Shock ripped through his two comrades, and Ox even jerked up to stare at him in disbelief. Cygnus Wing could see Harp mentally going over every family she'd ever been forced to memorize, trying to come up with another option, another answer, but he knew she'd never find it. They all already knew the answer, the only answer, to who the FM by all logic had to be.

"That wasn't Phantom," Harp stated calmly, for such a thing was an undeniable fact.

"No, it wasn't. Phantom would sooner destroy his own core than betray King Cepheus, just as any of the Four Generals would. And yet, only his family line, a family line with only one member mind you, has invisibility that can fool even an FM's eyes." A truly horrifying assassination power, so, of course, it was monopolized by the King, "So, how can there possibly be another?"

"A spontaneous mutant?" Harp offered, but it sounded weak to even her. The odds for an FM of any family line to mutate such a rare ability were astronomical at best, and there would be no way they wouldn't have heard the news.

"Perhaps. Regardless, such a dangerous ability cannot be in the hands of anyone but our King, and the human partner is troublesome too," Cygnus Wing huffed, "He's already too skilled with it."

"So, uh… what do we do?"

"We will dispose of the human bonded to this Axl Trigger just as the others, and, if possible, bring the rogue FM back with us, or kill him outright."

"I see…"

"Is something wrong, Harp?"

"No, no. I was just thinking about how many surprises this planet has had for us." Harp giggled at a stray thought she had. "I wouldn't be surprised if another FM or two showed up to stop us."

Cygnus Wing would have scoffed at the idea if they hadn't met their second unexpected enemy just a few hours prior, "I doubt that but you are right, and it never hurts to be prepared. In fact, I welcome it. Let the traitors to our King congregate here: we'll destroy them all."

* * *

Subaru had finally left, taking only a few Battle Cards despite Tamotsu's insistence. He would have pressed the issue, but he could feel his frayed edges getting thinner and thinner. So, when Subaru wanted to leave, he didn't do much to stop him. If anything, he was glad that War-Rock was gone so he could be alone.  
Well, not really alone, but Zero was so quiet sometimes he might as well be.

Yeah, Tamotsu thought distantly as he huddled like a child under his covers, it was a good thing that War-Rock was gone.

' _I almost died, I almost died…I almost let someone die'_

And if he cried a little bit, overwhelmed with feelings and fears, well, it wasn't as if Zero was going to tell anyone.


End file.
